Chiaroscuro
by PinkGray
Summary: The contrast between light and dark was also the contrast between him and her. But somehow, amidst their world of differences, everything was perfect. ItaSaku. Non-Massacre AU. Written as a series of related, continuous one-shots.
1. love is the process of

**Title: **love is the process of my leading you back to yourself  
**Word Count: **747**  
****Prompts:** 006. first meeting & 04. inner demons

**Summary: **Itachi suffocates slowly in the black and gray world that he lives in, but when Sakura bounds into it, splashing her bundle of contradicting, vibrant colours into his world, he thinks that perhaps, everything will be okay.

_AN: This will be a set of probably 30-31 ficlets/oneshots, detailing Itachi & Sakura's relationship in a Non-Massacre verse. They will all _be related_, but not necessarily in chronological order. Also, each title will be shamelessly stolen from 31_days over at LJ, from their march 2009 prompt list. Even the title of the fic is stolen from that list, unfortunately. -sigh- Enjoy!_

* * *

To him, it should've been nothing. A mission as simple as killing a few people was nothing to the jaded fourteen year old – not after the endless year he had already spent leading his own team in the infamous Black Ops. It shouldn't have been a problem at all; not the pleading azure eyes of the girl-child nearing her sixth year, nor the expression of solemn understanding in the eyes of the mother, easily twenty years his senior. They had been of course, collateral, but necessary damage. It was not as if he didn't know this day was coming. A deal signed with the devil, some called it. Itachi sealed his deal in blood at his inauguration into the secretive group, and he had known perfectly well the consequences of his actions.

Why then, was it so hard?

But he knew better than to express this newly developed emotion in any other way than to drown his sorrows, so to speak, _by himself_, with a bottle of sake latched snugly into his fists. He was an Uchiha. Hell, he was soon to be _the_ Uchiha, prodigy, clan heir extraordinaire that he was. Breaking one of the clan's precious golden rules by wallowing in this guilt _(-_ridiculous _guilt, he tried in vain to convince his cracking mind)_, was not an option anywhere near the tray he was offered.

And so he kept it silently to himself, opting instead to obediently obey any further instructions of the same nature, trusty bottle ready in waiting. This way, his otouto would never have to go through the pain of _this_, until the boy was sound and ready to. But Sasuke, even at his young age was not what he should've been at nine years. Too many frowns, scowls (_so Uchiha)_ befell his childish features, and Itachi could only add _failure_ onto his growing list of reasons to drink to.

And that was how she found him, barely intoxicated enough to offer a stagger in his step, heading back to the uninviting doors of the compound. If her peculiar set of contradicting yet _pretty _colours caught his interest, he allowed for nothing more than a slight eye flicker to greet the timid child. A soft breeze, barely enough to taunt the billowing cerise locks danced past them, but she neither moved nor spoke, only blinked up curiously at older boy. Without any semblance of a warning, her matching eyebrows scrunched up furiously, her head tilting almost violently to one side, sharp emeralds piercing the young Uchiha.

"Eh?" she blinked again, and Itachi almost wanted to sigh in frustration – she showed no signs of removing herself from his only narrow path home. "You look just like Sasuke-kun!"

At the mention of his otouto's name, his attention focused more closely on the small obstruction before him. "Oh, you must be his brother! It...a," she paused, eyebrows scrunching once again in that violent manner. "Itachi! That's your name! I heard Sasuke-kun mention it once!"

His mind whirled for a reaction, but before he could properly process her relationship with his younger sibling, she had thrust something awfully irritating under his nose. His nose wrinkled of his own accord, itching to relieve the irritation the sudden presence of pollen had brought.

"I actually bought these for Sasuke-kun," she muttered, gem like eyes warming with the thought. "But you look like you need them more. So here!"

And then she had smiled again, the innocent and childish curl of her lips playing softly on her cherub face. She neither waited for a reply nor said anything more, only offered him a small wave of her still-chubby hands, before her flurry of feet had taken her far down the street.

It was all as well, because Itachi had no words for the contradicting bundle of colours that had just bounded away. Cold onyx orbs flickered to the haphazardly wrapped bundle of carnations thrust carelessly into his hands, and while he should've just thrown the silly thing away, his slender fingers clutched the bunched stems even tighter.

He didn't bother to turn to look for a fleeting shadow of the pink haired girl, but for some reason he couldn't fathom, the unmovable burden of his mission shifted somewhat as he resumed his stroll home.

Perhaps it was the surprise at seeing such a fascinating sight, or the feel of the flowers in his hands - but right then and there, Itachi felt more carefree than he had in years.

* * *

tbc

* * *

_Notes. reviews are always very, _very_ appreciated. They make my day!_


	2. a heart will always go one step too far

**Title: **a heart will always go one step too far  
**Word Count: **1644**  
****Prompt:** 010. home & 07. shrimp

**Summary:** It was only the beginning, but it was the start of a beautiful relationship.

* * *

Haruno Sakura, he learned afterwards.

He had thought that it suited her, a cherry blossom billowing in the springtime. It was fitting enough, for a little girl of flowing coral locks and even brighter emeralds for eyes. And then he hadn't thought about her at all, swept away by the duties of his life. But after that, as if by some forgiving miracle of kami, he was a little more at ease. It never got easier, though – in the countless missions after that one, the child with gleaming cerulean orbs had her fair share of successors, each with a closed future full of would have, could have, _should_ have been opportunities. But after that day, he was no longer drowning in the overwhelming guilt of it all – _he_ had been saved, undeserving as he believed he was.

Perhaps it had been a mother's intuition, or simply the genius behind the Uchiha matriarch, but when Uchiha Mikoto saw her eldest boy enter the compound clutching a wondrous bundle in his fingers, she knew it was an opportunity that simply could not slip away. With a mother's smile she had welcomed the scarred boy home, his tray of dango balanced delicately in her hands. With a swipe even his ANBU-honed senses hadn't picked up, she had swapped his carnations for the tray of food.

And then he didn't see the familiar petals again. Unknowing to him, a little more of the guilt, of what felt like the weight of the world returned, and for a week it stayed that way. It wasn't until he saw them dried, the previously vibrant petals dulled to an ageless tone, bundled with a new ribbon in his room did he really _relax_, and he realized with a wry smirk that Uchiha Mikoto was not someone to be taken lightly.

But life carried on, and another colourless year drifted by before the vivacious colours of pink and green once again invaded his world.

"Baka!" Itachi stirred from his kitchen chair, ears perking at the voices drifting through the open window. "Don't touch that! Mikoto-san's never going to invite us back at this rate!"

"Dobe," Sasuke's voice joined the fray, laced heavily with annoyance. "That was a wedding present to my okaa-san."

"Ehh?" a third voice joined in, and Itachi quickly identified him as the Kyuubi container. "I didn't mean to! Oh _no_. If Mikoto-san never invites us back I'll never get to eat her delicious shrimp again!"

The soft laughter belonging to his mother was the only reply the blonde got, before Mikoto ushered them through the shoji doors.

"Aniki!" Sasuke looked up in surprise, not expecting his brother to be sitting so casually in the kitchen. A long-term ANBU mission had taken the elder Uchiha from their family home for the past five months, and Sasuke, with his incurable case of hero worship almost jumped at the sight of his brother. Almost. At the last moment, he reigned in his excitement, replacing his would-have been pounce with a tentative Uchiha-smile. "When did you get back?"

"This morning," Itachi replied, standing up as fluid as water. From his peripheral, he picked up the delicate blush that had spread across the pinkette's face at the deep baritone of his voice. "They are...?"

"Idiots," Sasuke offered, earning him a hard smack on the arm and an angered protest. Mikoto shot him a glare, shooing them into the kitchen.

"His friends from the Academy," the beautiful woman said in passing as she followed them back into the room, Itachi close on her heels. An amused smirk tugged at Itachi's lips as he walked in after, eyeing the girl sitting demurely at the table. "Introduce yourselves, dears."

Naruto wasted no time in beaming at the taller teen, stating with a near-yell that he was Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage. Sakura though, at the sight of the elder Uchiha seemed to have lost her fierce temper and bubbly, outgoing persona. When he turned his oynx orbs on her, the blush that had already been crawling across her face spread like wildfire, and in a vain attempt to hide her embarrassment, tilted her face downwards. In her haste, she missed the dance of amusement flash across his eyes.

"Haruno Sakura," she supplied finally, deciding to throw caution to the wind. She blinked her twin emeralds up at him, throwing him a tentative, demure yet _bright_ smile. When he said nothing, her left hand shot up nervously to tuck a wayward cerise strand back behind her ears. In that moment when their eyes met, though it was for the briefest of fleeting seconds, he had seen the recognition and remembrance in her bright eyes.

It would seem that he wasn't the only one that remembered their encounter a year prior.

Sasuke, having never seen his pink haired friend act so timid before, narrowed his eyes at the duo. But he remained his silence, not wanting to annoy his aniki on the first day of his return; there'd be plenty more chances for that. Instead, he turned to his mother, a quick "what's for dinner?" falling from his lips.

"Shrimp tempura, seeing as Naruto-kun loves them so much!" the woman replied, swivelling her head enough to beam at the boy she was quickly starting to consider her third son. This elicited a whooping cry of joy from the blonde, causing him to nearly bowl the table over in the process. This earned him a bruise to match Sasuke's, the deadliest of Uchiha glares and an imperceptible twitch from the eldest.

"How was the mission?" Sasuke turned, returning his gaze to his impossibly handsome brother.

"Adequate," was Itachi's only curt reply, and the steel in his eyes spoke heavily to Sasuke of all the unspoken words. In his childish haze, Sasuke tried to pry as much information from Itachi about his missions as possible, wanting desperately for details of the life he wished to someday lead. His elder brother had chastised him so often for asking repeatedly for classified details that the former no longer wished to waste more words on the subject, exasperated as he was.

"You are all in the same class?" Itachi asked, turning his gaze once more to the timid girl sitting opposite him.

"Yeah!" Naruto answered instead, blurting out the word so fast that Sakura didn't even have a chance to digest the meaning of Itachi's words, busy as she was revelling in the milky silk that was his voice. "We're just as good as your stick-in-the-as-" Sakura shot him a deathly glare, daring him to be his vulgar self in the presence of such a man, and a nervous chuckle escaped Naruto's lips. "-_butt! _That's what I meant; stick-in-the-butt brother! Believe it!"

Beside him, he heard his little, _foolish _little brother mutter a quiet 'if I'm stuck with these two morons for our entire genin career...', and almost smirked in wry amusement.

"The food is almost ready!" Mikoto's voice sang, and the younger trio shot up from their respective chairs immediately. Over the past months that have found the three forming a rather unconventionally close friendship, the amount of days they spent eating at the Uchiha compound increased so much so that they spent nearly two nights a week eating together at the Uchiha home. They learned the hard way that while they would be more than hazardous if they tried to cook, doing their part by setting the table was compulsory. Setting the table meant delicious food to eat, and sitting around on your ass meant that you got to _stare_ at the delicious food.

Itachi's eyes traced the girl's movements as she scurried from the cutlery drawer back to the table, a contented smile on her face as she laughed softly at her friends bickering in the background. "Don't call me a baka – who's the one that fried the tree by accident today?" Naruto burst out in a triumphant tone, smug that he had finally remembered some dirt on the young Uchiha.

"Baka. At least I _can_ fry a tree."

"Sakura-chan!" the former whined, nearly dropping his stack of plates in the process. "Why do we even bother hanging out with this guy?"

"Because we love Mikoto-san's shrimp entirely too much to give Sasuke-kun up," she replied without missing a beat, ignoring the deep scowl set on Sasuke's face as she floated past him. When she reached Itachi again however, the slight pause in her steps and momentary look of surprise set on her face made him wonder fleetingly if she had forgotten his presence.

The ghost of that same violent expression of subconscious pondering befell her features again before it melted finally into a smile with all the warmth of spring. "Are you well, Itachi-san?"

"Quite well," was his curt reply, his face expressionless as he surveyed her with piercing crimson orbs.

"Er, well-" she stammered, growing increasingly nervous under his unwavering scrutiny. "You should rest well! I mean, you must be tired. It was a long mission, right? Right," she finished for herself, the blush now shading her face unforgivingly. She let her bright emeralds roam his perfect features once more before swivelling around with agility of her later years.

"Baka!" she gasped, smacking Naruto upside his head. "That's not a bowl!"

Itachi turned his gaze out the window where the glaring moon was making its presence known and tuned out the mindless droning of childish banter around him. Long repressed thoughts of pink tinted with glowing viridian and petals of silk drifted into his mind once more as her soprano laughter pierced his thoughts.

They were only at the beginning of the bridge that would be their future, but at this moment, with her picture of innocent smiles and forgiving laughter, he let the past year leave him.

Like this, he could feel at peace – even for a little while.

* * *

tbc

* * *

_Notes. reviews are seriously, _very_ appreciated. apologies for the lack of itasaku here - there were those little moments though, eh? a relationship's gotta be build from the ground up, and to be honest, i'm a huge sucker for some good old team seven friendship. _

_review , review , review ! ;)_


	3. and crazy is the forecast all week

**Title: **and crazy is the forecast all week**  
Prompts:** 025. growth & 031. sexy no jutsu  
**Word Count:** 3214

**Summary:** Sexy no jutsu has never been this good. In which Naruto is oblivious, Sasuke is mortified, Sakura is more mortified, and Itachi is silently amused.

* * *

Life never happened as one expected, she learned all too soon.

At a younger age, dreams of star-filled missions with motions too fast to catch, whispered jutsus and deafening explosions were the thoughts that filled her childish mind. It was a dream, at one point, and nothing more. "You'll marry a nice young lad, and you'll get to raise a little daughter or son just as I raised you," her mother had once said with a smile. But as Sakura recalled the memory now, it had been a little nostalgic, and a lot more of something akin to regret-filled acceptance in that smile.

And then her mother had died, perishing alongside her father in a freak roadside accident.

It was a little bit like a fairytale after that, but the orphaned Sakura had found, perhaps by fate a box of hidden memories locked away in the furthest corner of her home. It was somewhere she would've never looked, had she not been forced to clean out her home to prepare it for sale. In the box she found all her now-repressed dreams of those star-filled whispered nights – but they belonged to her _mother_.

She couldn't have been sure, if not for the tiny engraving on the hitai-ate, and the little markings on the mounds of scrolls, kunai and weaponry. It was perhaps fate, or simply luck that she stumbled across this locked away piece of the past, but something had been reincarnated in her at that moment. With courage that a seven year old Sakura never knew, she had marched herself straight to the Third's office to make her demands known.

It had been a little more than intimidating once she actually made her way to the building, though. Too little to even reach the waists of the guards, a shy curve of her lips and an incandescent blush were all that she could offer with her quiet plea, asking if she could please have a moment of the Hokage-sama's time. The young Izumo instantly recognized her as the esteemed merchant Haruno-san's recently orphaned daughter, and taking pity from the emotions seeping out from the bold locks of Shinobi Rule #25, led the timid girl up the steps to find the aging Hokage.

Sarutobi, with his infinite knowledge it seemed, recognized her straight away. Though she did not know it at the time, he knew of her thoughts exactly, before her soprano voice had even jumped the leap of faith to ask it.

"Hokage-sama," she bowed, face still flushed cherry from the biting cold. "I was just thinking...uhm..."

"Have you found a place to stay yet, Sakura-chan?"

She looked up in surprise at hearing her name, an unforgiving blush rising to accompany winter's gift on her face. "...no, Hokage-sama, I have not."

"Good," he replied softly with a small smile. The momentary horror Sakura felt at the kind Hokage being happy at her state of homelessness melted away completely with his next words. "I hope you do not mind, Sakura-chan, if I suggest a place for you. The son of a very dear friend of mine was orphaned as well at a very young age, and has been staying at an apartment complex near here. I'm sure he would be very happy to have a new neighbour."

"Really?" Sakura beamed, feeling hopeful for the first time since Black Monday, as she had so cleverly named it. The Hokage smiled with his lines of age, nodding along with her. Haruno Akio had been one of the most intelligent and most respected civilians in Konoha, and he had no qualms in believing that his daughter would be every bit as bright as the lately deceased man. His wife too, had been one of the brightest of her time – but tragedies are abundant amongst fairytales, and he hoped that her living legacy would be able to carry on what she was not able to accomplish.

"I am sure also, that he wouldn't mind taking you to the Academy to study with him," he finished, and watched as the light lit up her cherub face, knowing for certain in that moment that _that_ was indeed why she had come.

"So I can learn to be a shinobi?" she blurted, manners flying to the wind. "So I can be a kunoichi like okaa-san?"

The tragic smile that pulled at Sarutobi's face at the mention of her mother's repressed potential was lost to the young girl, with only his final "yes", a remembrance of that day.

* * *

After just one week of being put on the same genin team as her two best friends, Sakura was sure of one thing: she would die an inevitably early and painful death, because of those two absolute _morons_.

"BAKA!" she screeched, hand already sore from abusing the blonde's arm excessively. "What's the point of that? _Seriously_! Baka, baka, _bakaaaa_!"

"It's not my fault!" the blonde whined, eyeing his battered arm. "If Kakashi-sensei wasn't so late every day, I wouldn't have the time to make this jutsu!"

Sasuke scoffed from his meditative position, full of Uchiha-scorn for the Kyuubi vessel. "How unclassy," he drawled, adding finally with a smirk, "_dobe_."

"Why you teme-"

"Say, Sasuke-kun," Sakura suddenly interrupted, eruptive anger from moments ago seemingly forgotten. Naruto turned to the girl in absolute surprise, and even Sasuke cracked open an eye at her serene voice. "Is you nii-san back from his mission yet?"

Obsidian orbs narrowed at her uncharacteristic question. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," she laughed, waving it away with a soft flick of her hand. "Just curiosity, you know. We're still on for dinner at your place tonight, right?"

A brisk nod was all she received in reply, and she nearly let out the repressed sigh of relief as Naruto's mouth jabbered on about Mikoto-san's famous shrimp, effectively steering the conversation away from her question. She direly wanted to punch her dear Sasuke-kun for so skilfully avoiding the simple task of providing her with an adequate answer. Now, she was left to merely hope at catching a glimpse of the elder brother. Though optimism was at the core of her very nature, disappointment in this field had been wrought too many times in the past two years for her optimism to shine its usual light on her.

In her daydream of silky ebony locks and unmentionable grace, she missed the narrowed stare, filled with calculating scrutiny her raven haired friend shot her.

"Yo!" Kakashi materialized, the mist of smoke dissipating around him. "Sorry I'm late. An old lady was sobbing uncontrollably...Lost her wallet, you see, and-"

"Oh, cut the crap, sensei," Sakura rolled her eyes. "What are we doing today?"

The infamous eye-crinkle they would come to know in their later years as _trouble_ found its way onto his features, as he assured them with a wave of his orange book that it was going to be a brilliantly fun mission.

**x x x**

"I _hate_ that man," Sakura spat, running a brown finger through her mud-matted hair. "Brilliantly fun? Hah!"

"Is this even allowed? He's trying to kill us!" Naruto chimed, dragging with difficulty his too bruised body.

For once, Sasuke was silent, having exhausted his reserve of mockery for his two best friends. He, too, was in a state so sorry he hardly looked Uchiha at all. The three, dragging their sluggish bodies down the narrow road towards the Uchiha home looked in actuality like three corpses, having dug their way from the grave in the midst of the worst summer storm.

Kakashi had managed to stay _clean_ the entire time (mostly by sacrificing his three unfortunate pupils in the process), and when judgement time came and they were officially off the clock, he had disappeared before they could adequately punish him. Not that they could've achieved anything at all – unfortunately for Sasuke's too-inflated ego, Sakura's impossible temper, and Naruto's never-ending fountain of eternal optimism, their dear sensei could still defeat them without taking his masked face away from his literary porn.

An appalled gasp broke them from their exhausted silence, and three mud-covered heads whipped up to meet the mortified face of one beautiful Uchiha Mikoto. "Darlings! What happened to you?"

"Kakashi-sensei," they droned in unison, with no small amounts of disdain.

A small laugh escaped her lips, "Oh, of course. You've done well then."

If they were puzzled by her sudden change in attitude, they were offered no time to ponder it as she shooed them into the house, with a teasing-but-strict order for them to please get their dirty selves into the shower.

"I smell like _cow_," Sakura sniffed, hiding her relief at the apparent lack of Itachi's presence. She would just _die_ if he saw her like this. "And you two! You two smell like a horse and a pig reproduced!"

"Better than cow, Sakura," Sasuke glared.

"I'll leave clothes for you guys in the room!" Mikoto's voice drifted from rooms away, and Sakura's face coloured so much at being caught arguing like children that it was discernable through the layer of mud sprinkling her face. Sasuke, with a noticeably thicker crust of mud-cake on his face was spared from the embarrassment of his rosy cheeks, and Naruto's booming laughter at his friends' discomfort was the only noise on their short trek.

When they reached the guest room, three hopeful pairs of eyes eyed the adjoining door with no small amounts of lust. But with a glare from Sakura, the two men wordlessly yielded to her figure, walking confidently to the bathroom door. They exchanged a glance, a little defeated, but mostly wary of the years to come.

If this was Sakura five years into their friendship, at age _twelve_, they could only imagine in their nightmare filled evenings, what a twenty year old Sakura, thirteen years into the future would be like. Oh, they were so whipped, and even more screwed.

**x x x**

"Okaa-san," Itachi nodded, inclining his head slightly in greeting.

Mikoto spared him all the warmth a motherly smile could before resuming the task of slicing her tomatoes. "Sasuke-chan doesn't know you're back yet, hmm?"

"I do not believe so, okaa-san," Itachi replied, inwardly chuckling at the suffix his mother loved to frequent her youngest with.

"Oh, he'll be in such a good mood tonight. You're back, we're having tomatoes, and-" she paused in her musings as voices elevated in mock-anger reached them. "-his friends are here as well."

She couldn't help the laugh that escaped then, as well as the twinkling in her eye. "It's going to be an interesting night, don't you think, Itachi?"

Although he said nothing, Itachi couldn't help but be inclined to silently agree.

**x x x**

"Okay," she said, voice muffled from the towel and downward position of her head. Tangled pink tresses filled their vision as the bathroom door swung open, revealing a Sakura with her head downcast, rubbing furiously with a towel at her hair. "You guys can shower now."

"Huh?" a voice drifted over, frozen with something akin to fear. "Shit!"

Knowing trouble when it was around, Sakura whipped her head up to meet the scene awaiting her. And when she did, the screech promising bloody murder that elicited from her throat was heard all throughout the vast Uchiha compound.

"You absolute _morons!_"

**x x x**

Sitting halfway around the winding hallways of their home, Itachi and Mikoto froze in their actions at the terrifying scream. But the latter laughed a second later, murmuring fond thoughts about the cerise coloured girl, and in her mirth, missed the amused smirk curling across her eldest's face.

**x x x**

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto sputtered, his jutsu faltering at her sudden appearance. "That was a really fast shower! You should try doing that more oft-"

"What do you think you're doing!" she screeched once more, face dyed a shadowed crimson, hued to showcase her fluttering anger to the entire world at large. "What gives you the _right _to do that? Baka! Baka, baka, _bakaaaaa!" _With the last insult came a painfully hard blow to his head – and although the blonde boy didn't know it at the time, it was a near perfect imitation of all the chakra-laden, monstrous punches he would receive from the girl through the entire course of their friendship.

"Ow!" he whined, but with the glint in her gleaming emeralds that promised bloody murder, didn't dare press on with his protests. Instead, possibly for the first time in his twelve years of living, made his first wise choice, and started sputtering out hasty apologies to the furious pink monster huffing before him.

If it hadn't been him in that situation, he might've found it amusing that the normally delicate (sometimes) and demure (again, sometimes) girl looked like the big bad wolf, trying to huff and puff the little house down. But given that _he_ was the house, he had no more will to find a laugh in the matter. Especially since it seemed that as luck would have it, even the luxury of being the nice, sturdy stone house was out of his reach today. Given the current situation, he would be lucky if he made it through as well as the _straw_ house.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan!" cried Naruto – and somewhere behind him, he thought he heard a snicker. "You see, you're just so pretty and all – and my sexy no jutsu is so pretty too, so we thought, hey! Since they're both super pretty-" he paused at the increased flush in her face, and made a hasty backtrack. "But you're prettier, of course! Well we were just thinking that two positives have to equal an even _better_ positive, right? Right..."

"So," she said, and Naruto suddenly wished that the anger she housed from moments ago was back. For in its place was a saccharine smile that brought out the goosebumps in even Sasuke, and he was standing a good distance away. "Let me get this straight. You violated my body by hengeing your _stupid_ sexy no jutsu into _me_?"

"Er, well...when you put it _that_ way," Naruto scratched the back of his head, sheepish, "...Yes?"

"How _dare_ you?" Sakura screeched, and Naruto fought back a cringe. He doubted any other girl's vocal chords could rival Sakura's. Not even Ino, the other notorious loudmouth of Konoha. "How dare you just...just..._violate_ me like that?"

When she put it in those terms, guilt that he didn't know he could feel flushed through him. "But Sakura-chan!" he gasped, momentary fear forgotten. "I promise that's not what we were trying to do! It's just that you're so pretty and everything!"

If it weren't for the barely perceptible sniff that signalled to them the calm after the storm was here, Sasuke wouldn't have dared put in a syllable. "Sakura. The dobe is right."

"Sasuke-kun?" she blinked, having momentarily forgotten his existence. "You! Don't think you can escape the blame either!"

_Well, shit_, he thought, and a quick glare in Naruto's direction was the best defence he could muster at the moment. In a second, as if a light had suddenly gone off in the blonde's head, his face shone with the notion that he had just gotten a 'bright idea'. Sasuke, knowing from the years of their acquaintance that no idea from Naruto was a bright idea, opened his mouth to stop Naruto from digging them a deeper hole, but was beaten by Naruto's "-Hey, Sakura-chan! I'll show you! When you see how pretty you are, you won't be so mad anymore!"

Before anyone's jaw could drop at Naruto's stupidity, his muddied boyish body was replaced by the fully nude body of one eighteen year old Haruno Sakura. The said girl's lips dropped to form an _o_, too shocked to scream bloody murder once more, and perhaps even a bit inwardly pleased at how _good_ she, it, _whatever_ looked. Had she twisted her head a fraction of an inch, she might've caught sight of the growing rosy hue in the younger Uchiha's pale cheeks, but she was too busy being thankful that a hazy smoke covered her delicate areas.

"Am I interrupting?" a deep baritone called from the door. Three heads whipped towards the door that had slid open in their inattentive shock, and revelling in the last bath of sunshine seeping through the door was none other than Uchiha Itachi. If Sakura had been mortified about a minute ago, when she first spotted a Sakura-sexy-no-jutsu, there was simply no word in her mind that could describe what she felt _now_. There, standing casually, as if he were without a care in the world, with a deliciously amused smirk curling around his lips was the object of her childish affection.

"Aniki!" Sasuke sputtered, face contorting into something indescribable as he digested the situation. When his mind finally wrapped around the bizarreness of the whole, he turned his face away, and Sakura caught a glimpse of the expression splattered across his boyish patrician features that could only be described as _I'm going to hurl all over the place right fucking now_.

And then Naruto had to open his mouth again, making an unsalvageable situation even worse. Why his two best friends ever expected differently was a mystery, but the frozen look of absolute shock plastered across both faces when his next words escaped were evidence enough of their hopeless optimism.

"You!" Naruto beamed up at their new audience member. "Tell Sakura-chan that she's so pretty like this!" When Itachi made no reply, with the only indication that he'd heard anything at all the deepening of the already thoroughly amused smirk on his face, Naruto took that stupidly as an invitation to continue. Turning to Sakura, he proceeded to mortify her even further. "See, Sakura-chan?" he said, the eagerness nearly pouring from his words. "Even the teme's brother thinks you're super pretty!"

"Eh? Sakura-chan? Are you alright?" he blinked, looking properly flabbergasted. "Do you have a fever? Your face is so red!"

"_Shut up_," Sasuke hissed, unconsciously inching closer to the embarrassed girl who now cradled her 'feverish' face within the palms of her hands. It was the sort of brotherly love that would manifest much more in their later years, the one she would often reprimand them for, for being too overly protective. But right now, the faint tugging within Sasuke willed him to move so that he shielded her from the source of her agony. He had guessed as much recently, with her often coy questions about his aniki. Still, even now, it could've been just a coincidence – but _right_ now, he had to get Itachi out of there, for her sake.

"Nii-san," Sasuke turned, schooling his voice to be as level as humanely possible. "Please tell okaa-san that we will be down to dinner shortly."

Itachi nodded in compliance, and moved to turn away from the unconventional trio. When his back was fully turned, and they'd fully expected him to just move on with a few inner laughs, he paused to leave them with yet another nugget of surprise.

"To answer your question, Naruto-kun," his voice drifted over, and Sakura, who had finally regained the will to lift her head, froze once more. "She is indeed, very pretty."

With a small smirk to himself, Itachi disappeared into the shadows of their winding halls, leaving in his wake three gobsmacked twelve year olds.

* * *

tbc

* * *

_Notes. Reviews please? they're much, much appreciated. and again, i must apologize for the lack of itasaku. but they're still young, so naturally, as time moves forward for them, so will their relationship. to me, i think, good natured sasusakunaru friendship is very much inevitable in a happy happy non-mass fic. so beware for an abundance of that. and i'm also sorry if the beginning was very confusing. ask away if you've been confounded by my weird words._

_aside from that, review? :)_


	4. that unnoticed & that necessary

**title: **that unnoticed & that necessary  
**prompts:** 014. frustration & 01. "this is my way as a ninja"

**Summary:** Of epiphanies and realizations, Sakura stumbles upon the path that will unfold a world of possibilities.

* * *

She realized, a little belatedly and perhaps with a little more than remorse that she would never be like them.

It had only been two years, but slowly, the differences had begun to show. Sure, the nifty label of "Konoha's superteam!" had been given all too easily to the unconventional trio by the ones they encountered, but she had known for some time now that now, _trio_ meant little more than two plus one. A burden, she often likened herself as. And what more could she have to say? She couldn't fault her boys for trying to be there for her – though their tendency to want to protect her from every trip, fall or glitch in the road was at some times overbearing, it was more often than not sweet and endearing.

And so, she could offer no more than a smile and a laugh to accompany.

The first time, in Wave with Sasuke and Naruto fighting thoughtlessly to protect her, their _weakest link_, from the dangers that surrounded them, she thought no more of it after the danger had gone and passed. But then there had been the time in Suna after that, and the encounter with enemy recon in their own territory, near Mist and countless other times. After a while, even she had started to clue in.

With what she had to offer, she would _never_ be able to compare to Sasuke, mini-Uchiha extraordinaire, or Naruto, optimistic to a fault and learning to embrace his father's gift to him. What could she do, that no one else could do? A merchant's daughter, with no more shinobi drive in her than the average civilian mulling about. It was all that she was, and to her, acceptance had seemed like the only road left.

But it was easier said than done. Not because she was unwilling to admit to the reality of what was, but because she was frightened without scruples of any thought of selfishness. Though she had never in the course of their friendship told them blunt and outright that they were all that she had, it was an unspoken truth hanging deftly in the air. They were her family, the lights of her life and her precious people. At thirteen, anything beyond was little more than a dream, but down to the depths of her bones, she never wanted to lose them.

And admitting to the faults of her own incapability warranted, at least in her mind, that exact future. Admitting to what she wasn't, couldn't, and would never be was a one way ticket to losing them. Of that, she was adamant.

And so she pretended, pretended like everything was okay and that she was just like them.

* * *

"Be more careful in the future, okay?" the twenty some-odd nurse smiled down at her, with enough kindness and gentleness as to bring out a wave of nostalgia within Sakura for her deceased mother.

The apologetic smile, weaved with all her remaining shyness mirrored the blonde nurse's in all aspects of kindness, as Sakura replied with a quiet "thank you".

"Don't think anything of it, dear," the nurse laughed off as she ushered the girl to the door. "Though I ought to talk to Kakashi; you and your teammates seem like you're being tortured by that man, you poor things."

"We _are_ being tortured by that monster," Sakura replied jokingly, but the slight bitterness and discontent that refused to be hidden away did not go unnoticed by the young nurse.

"I would say see you tomorrow, Sakura-chan, but," she paused, letting a slight laugh escape, "I think we've both seen each other enough this week, hm?"

The laugh that escaped Sakura trilled around them in an alluringly childish tone as she smiled and waved goodbye to the nurse that she had, over the last few weeks become very well acquainted with. At first it had been a mystery as to why their chronically tardy and lazy sensei had suddenly developed an interest in their wellbeing and general improvement as shinobi, but it had become clear all too soon. In the end, it had all been _his_ fault.

Jiraiya.

The newest addition to the Icha Icha family had been delayed, because its author had recently been rendered _incapacitated_ by the recently appointed Godaime. No new Icha Icha equalled a grumpy Kakashi, which pretty much meant only one thing for his three disciples: torture. And true to his sudden Nazi regime, his pupils had nearly landed their own, permanent room in the hospital.

Sometimes, Sakura wished she could just punch him in the face.

And then she nearly laughed – that would _really_ be the day, when she, little Haruno, would be able to punch her sensei, fourteen years her senior with easily twice that amount of experience in years. She flashed the nurse at the front desk, Kiya, a sweet smile as she passed, and the young woman waved back. It seemed to Sakura that she had gotten to know nearly all the nurses on duty near this hour in the past few weeks, and now, instead of worried looks when she arrived, they only received her with quiet laughter.

Everyone accepted that Kakashi was an absolute tyrant to his poor kids.

Just when her feet were about to bring her within the range of the automatic door's sensors, they flung open of their own accord. Or, it seemed that way until she was nearly mauled over by the three bodies flying through, their blood splattering onto her face at their speed. She couldn't even flinch at the blood on her face, frozen as she was from the scene unfolding before her. The masks they wore betrayed them as ANBU the second she drank their image in, but it wasn't their status or blood that caught her attention.

It was the seemingly lifeless body one of them clutched within his arms.

Even at this distance, she recognized on sight the silky onyx strands, now freed from their elastic hold. Though his partially cracked mask still covered his features, she would be blind not to notice his distinct Uchiha features breaking through the broken disguise. Especially since _these_ particular features were ones that she had held close to heart since her earlier days.

Itachi.

Sasuke had mentioned in passing that his aniki had left for a mission some two months prior – she had been disappointed, like she always was, when she learned of his departure. But she had thought nothing more of it, nothing of the dangers his types of missions entailed, because he always returned. Without even realizing, she had, in her mind built up a hero image of him not entirely unlike Sasuke's incurable hero worship – she had, more or less, believed him to be invincible.

But his blood, flowing as freely as his hair, shattered her naive beliefs, and she came crashing down with the realization that _this could be it_.

And she could do nothing but watch as his teammates yelled for the Hokage to come save Itachi.

In the chaos, Sakura's presence was forgotten, overshadowed by the more important issue of saving Konoha's wild card. She had watched, wide-eyed and star struck as the busty Hokage appeared, confidence in her aura and voice as she hammered out orders to the staff. The panicking staff in question all seemed to relax upon her arrival, and Sakura could only marvel at the power that she commanded with just her words.

And without realizing it, Tsunade inched her way onto Sakura's list of idols.

Things had happened too fast after that. Under Tsunade's barked out orders, Itachi had been taken into one of the Emergency Operation rooms, with the door swinging shut with a loud bang. Needless to say, Sakura's position and age prevented her from gleaning any more information. Neither could the nurses tell her anything, nor could she now watch it unfold with her own eyes. And so she turned around, tense, with a tightness in her heart as she stepped out of the hospital.

But with every step she took, the tightness and tension eased from within her, and it was a few more minutes before she could understand why.

Tsunade.

For some reason, Sakura held a blind faith in their Hokage. Perhaps it was the scene that had just unfolded, and the subconscious idolization she now held for her, but, of one thing she was now sure.

Tsunade would save Itachi.

* * *

Sakura had been glad to find that her instincts about the Hokage had been one hundred percent accurate.

Seven hours sitting in the waiting room next to a restless Sasuke later, the doors finally burst to life. The relief that flowed through her at seeing the medic's smiling face was unlike she had ever felt before. But she had filed it away under a mask of relief for Sasuke's relief – she didn't need him becoming any more suspicious than he already was of her 'situation'.

Then, without a chance to even breathe, they had been ushered quickly into Room 217, placed with harsh orders to stay quiet and to not disturb the elder Uchiha. That had been an hour ago, and in the sixty minutes that had already passed, they barely exchanged two words. For once, she didn't mind – at least, with Sasuke's attention focused on his slumbering brother, she could let some of her joy slide.

But now, she had simply reverted back to watching Sasuke watching Itachi.

It was like another burst of lightning, but watching the scene before her, the epiphany she had been waiting her entire life for hit. Whether it be the inspirational woes of Tsunade's miracle healing, or simply the appreciation of _life_, she knew that this was it.

Medic-nin.

As soon as she whispered the words aloud, a sense of fulfillment surged through her. She knew immediately that _this_ is what she had been missing; her calling, her destiny, _whatever_ it was called – this was _it_.

"Sakura?" Sasuke's voice broke her out of her trance, and she blinked, refocusing her round emeralds on him.

"Huh?"

A sigh, mixed with traces of exasperation and fatigue brushed past his lips. "I said, do you want to go grab something to eat before we come back? The dobe's not due to come back until a little later."

"Oh yeah, sure."

As they shuffled along and out of Itachi's room, Sakura remained oddly thoughtful and quiet. This was so uncharacteristic of her that Sasuke, uncomfortable with his boisterous teammate suddenly becoming as quiet as their sensei, attempted to strike up a conversation.

Even more surprising was the fact that it took more then two tries on his part to even grab a piece of her attention. He should've known that her odd silence could only be attributed to some weirder thoughts floating through her mostly absentminded head, but he was surprised, to say the least, when she popped a random question at him.

"Say, Sasuke-kun," she started, an even more oddly, her wide emeralds weren't trained on him. Instead, they focused on some faraway object only she could see. "What do you think of medic-nins?"

"What?" he paused to turn his scrutinizing glare on her. "You mean like Tsunade?"

"Yeah. Exactly like Tsunade."

For a moment, he was at a loss for a reply. Her question had been so random and unexpected that Sasuke, not wanting to offend her, stayed thoughtful for a while. Usually, a snarky reply would've sufficed for her questions – she never seemed to mind, anyway, and it was simply how their dynamics worked. But he sensed that for this particular question, anything less than a genuine reply would hurt the cerise haired girl.

"They're invaluable to the shinobi forces," he ventured finally.

"So you don't think it's a job reserved for the useless...the ones who can't do anything else?"

With _that_ sentence, he now knew exactly where this was headed, and thanked Kami that he'd listened to his instincts. He smirked down at her. "Hn. Only master-able by those with impeccable chakra control – obviously, someone like the dobe would crash and burn as a medic."

She seemed to light up several shades at his backwards compliment to her, though he reckoned she probably hadn't even realized it to be a compliment. But the topic was dropped thereafter, and her usual cheery persona was back, chattering several miles a minute about everything that passed through her stream of conscious.

Unnoticed to her, Sasuke let a brief smile flash over his features. She had hidden it well over the past while, but it was hard to hide the feelings of inferiority and contempt from someone who was entirely too well acquainted with it. Under Itachi's shadows, Sasuke had felt no different than what Sakura probably felt now, overshadowed by her sensei's overwhelming success and her teammate's blossoming potential. But Sasuke had found his calling, his place to call _home_, with the people of Team Seven. And though he might not always flaunt his appreciation of his second family, he felt his heartstrings tug for her obvious distress. A few well chosen words of quiet support were all that she needed, and now all he had to do was sit back and watch.

Just as she seemed to harbour unwavering faith for both his and Naruto's abilities, he held the same hopes for _her_ untapped potential. Like any other cherry blossom, she would peak and reach her potential, perhaps blossoming bigger and brighter than any other.

And now, all he had to do was wait, sit back and watch.

* * *

Sakura felt the heat rush to her face before any words could stumble out of her mouth, no doubt in a jumble.

The overwhelming sense of _dejavu_ hit her then, and she was brought back to memories of all those years ago, when she had stood in this exact position. Izumo stood as he had all those years ago – a little more jaded, a little more worn around the edges, but still with a smile to greet her all the same. "Hey, Sakura-chan," he greeted, the boyish smile still lighting his features. "Did you need anything?"

"Hey," she spoke, her voice almost as soft as a whisper. She almost didn't want to utter her request. All those years ago, screwing up the courage to talk to the kind Third had been terrifying enough, but now, hidden in the tower was a different beast entirely. Sure, the blonde's inspirational jutsus were the reason she was here to begin with, but actually talking to her and asking for this was a different thing entirely.

"Sakura?"

"Oh, sorry!" she blushed. "Is the Hokage busy right now? I would appreciate a quick word with her, if that's alright."

"Sure thing, Sakura-chan. I think she just finished a mission brief, so you're in luck – she shouldn't be too beastly right now."

If it weren't for the toothy grin on his face, she would've believed that she had voiced those thoughts by accident. But she simply flashed him a smile and thanked him before stepping herself quietly into the building.

This was it, her make it or break it moment. And she could only hope now, that it was the former rather than the latter.

* * *

"No."

Sakura froze, her smiles and fears frozen along with her heart. _No_. "But-"

The blonde heaved a sigh, turning her penetrating gaze back. Sakura fought to not flinch under her scrutiny. "Why should I allow you to become my apprentice? I have enough bullshit to deal with already as the Hokage."

"I know I can do it – I won't be a hassle at all, I'll work hard, as many hours as you need-"

"Empty words, Haruno."

Sakura squared her shoulders, and took a deep breath. "Did you get that feeling, Tsunade-sama, when you first saw medical jutsu in action? A sense of fulfillment, inspiration, and _everything_?" Sakura said, the raw want flashing through her shining emeralds. "When I saw you the other day, saving Itachi-san, I just _knew_ – this is what I was meant to do."

Tsunade stayed silent for the next few minutes, her gaze never leaving Sakura. Uncomfortable as it was to have such an intimidating woman examine her so openly, Sakura refused to back down. If there was ever going to be an important time to show her confidence, it would be now.

"Tell me something," she said finally, apparently finished with her examination. "Does this have to do with Naruto's arrangement with Jiraiya and Sasuke's extended arrangement with Kakashi?"

Sakura bit her lip. She had been hoping that this wouldn't pop up in their conversation, but it was inevitable now. "Yes," she replied with a tone of finality, bringing her steady gaze up to meet Tsunade's. "It may not be the most honest motivation, but we all have a goal. If this can help me be _close _to what I could be, doing something I _know_ I will love…well, it's all that a shinobi can ever hope for, right?"

Tsunade's glare deepened once more, and Sakura could practically hear the _no_ ready to roll off her tongue. But a second later she smirked, relaxing her gaze.

"Be here at 8am tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

Sakura, having already decided subconsciously that she had been rejected, reeled back with surprise. "What?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, choosing to remain silent.

It only took Sakura another moment to realize that she had succeeded, and when she did, the excitement lit up her features like Christmas day. Refraining herself at the last moment, she settled for a deep bow rather than rushing over and receiving the Hokage in a bone crushing hug. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama! I won't let you down!"

"Shisou."

"Huh?"

"At least address me properly, Haruno," Tsunade said with a smirk. Sakura, understanding the implications, smiled even wider than she thought humanely possible.

"Thank you, Tsunade-shisou!"

"Mm...now get out!"

Sakura, already ecstatic beyond belief, was only too happy to comply. As she slipped out of the tower, unable to contain her mirth any longer, swept the unsuspecting Izumo up in a wondrous hug.

"Woah," he laughed, returning the hug. "What'd I do to deserve this?"

With a twinkle in her eye, she replied, "Today is the first day of the rest of my life."

* * *

tbc

* * *

_AHAH, who liked that cheesy line at the end? i couldn't help myself, although i did grimace when i added it in. i hope you guys liked it. i've been going through a writing slump recently, so idk about the quality of this, kinda iffy, i think. ah well, some things come and some things go._

_thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter - much, _much_, appreciated. and it would be even more appreciated if you reviewed again! :D_

_cheeers._


	5. awkward as a wound on my bones

**title: **awkward as a wound on my bones**  
****prompts:** 016. absurd & 41. rivals

**Summary:** In a moment of insanity, Sasuke decides to throw all rationality to the wind.

* * *

"Ramen!"

"Are you stupid? There's exotic food from all over the world here."

Naruto scoffed, undeterred. "Ramen is exotic!"

"Absolutely not," Sasuke finalized. Naruto saw from the annoyed and determined shine in Sasuke's eyes that there was no swaying him. Sighing, he relented. Sasuke arched a brow at his appeasing behaviour – it was most unlike him, most unexpected-

"Say, Sakura-chan. You want ramen, don't you?" Naruto said coyly to their remaining teammate suddenly.

Sakura blinked, startled awake from her daze by the sound of her name. From the expectant look on Naruto's innocent face and the look of absolute death plastered on Sasuke's, she knew that the role of mediator had once more fallen on her. _For god's sake_, she thought. Her forgiving mood allowed her to offer the two a sweet smile and an even sweeter compromise. "How about we get a little bit of everything that looks edible? I'm starved."

For a moment, both men actually looked appeased as they considered the proposition. But too soon Naruto's baby face emerged as he readied himself to whine, and Sasuke's pride-induced dissatisfaction took over.

"But Sakura-chaaaan," Naruto drawled, "That's so unsatisfying! We should eat enough ramen so that we don't even want to _think_ about other food!"

"We eat ramen every day. Absolutely no ramen today."

The two sentences were sputtered simultaneously, with enough force to overpower each other. Unsurprisingly, it was also enough to shatter Sakura's complacency, and, with her smile frozen, she counted to ten. When ten digits had slowly rolled by, she mustered up the brightest smile she could for her two boys. Then, she pulled them both close to her, with enough force to elicit a slight yelp from Naruto and look of discomfort from Sasuke.

"I think I'm in the mood for some dango," she hissed into their ears, her saccharine tone threateningly sweet. "You guys are okay with that, right?"

Naruto nodded eagerly and Sasuke simply looked away – Sakura was, for a lack of a better description, downright scary sometimes. Interrogation, they could handle. S-classed criminals, they could deal with. Sakura in a rage? Not so much.

"Is Forehead bullying you two into submission again?" Ino emerged from the crowd suddenly, breaking up their tense party. Sasuke, seizing the opportunity, detached himself as inconspicuously as possible from Sakura's death grip. Naruto nearly nodded his agreement to Ino's offhand comment, but stopped short when he saw the murderous glare Sakura currently sported. A nervous laugh escaped the eighteen year old, newly appointed jounin as he hastily disagreed.

Ino laughed heartily at the scene playing out before her, her laugh a charming little jingle. "A rhetorical question, dear. The answer's obvious to everyone, anways," she said, an unmistakable twinkle in her cerulean orbs.

In one smooth motion, she latched herself onto Sakura's now-free left arm. "If you'll excuse us, boys, I need to borrow Forehead for a bit."

Before any member of Team Seven could properly comment on Ino's statement, Sakura had already been whisked away, with Ino ploughing magically through the thick crowd. Sakura only managed to spit out a hasty "bye!" before she was out of earshot. Ino's quick pace didn't stop until they reached the other side of the festival, and even then, she only slowed to a brisk walk.

"Jeez," Ino sighed. "I thought Sasuke and Naruto were going to have panic attacks when I said I'd be taking you."

Sakura let out a small laugh. "They can be awfully dramatic at times."

Ino shrugged. "Look who they hang around all day."

Sakura whacked her none too gently across the arm, feigning agitation. "And look who _I_ learned from," she retorted. "Anyways, what do you actually need? I thought you were hanging out with Shika tonight."

"That's actually exactly why I pulled you away. I need a little bit of help, to be honest."

"The great Ino needs _my_ help?" Sakura gasped, feigning astonishment. "Is the apocalypse coming?"

"Oh shut up, Forehead," Ino replied playfully. Then, she became serious, with a rather morose expression clouding her pretty face.

"Why aren't you with Shika? Is it hurt? Did his mission go awry? What ha-"

"Relax, relax," Ino soothed, dropping down onto the park bench. "He's fine. He's here at the festival tonight, with his team."

Sakura raised a curious brow. "His ANBU team? I thought those formations were confidential."

Ino nodded impatiently. "But this is Shika we're talking about. If Naruto or Sasuke were put on teams with random people, you'd do everything you could to find out who they were too."

Sakura nodded, absentmindedly acquiescing.

"Well, he's been very busy after his entrance into the ANBU," Ino turned her head away, her gaze softening at something on the horizon. "I want to steal him away from his team tonight."

"Then what's the problem?" Sakura asked, baffled. "You're the most outspoken person in Konoha. Just go grab him away like you dragged me."

"It's not that simple," Ino heaved another sigh, turning back to lock eyes with Sakura. "His team...his teammates, well _one_ of them...intimidates me a bit. Help me distract them while I steal Shika away?"

"He intimidates _you_?" Sakura asked, incredulous. "And you want _me_ to distract _him_?"

Ino bit her lips, "Yes."

Maybe it was her positively cunning acting skills, or the look of true desperation on her face, but Sakura would never really know which prompted her to agree to Ino's insane demand. Letting out an annoyed sigh, Sakura straightened herself up on the bench. "Alright. Lead the way, but you _so_ owe me big time, Pig."

Ino let out an exuberant squeal at Sakura's compliance, and wasted no time in dragging Sakura back towards the bustling crowd lest the girl change her mind. How Ino managed to pick Shikamaru out from the crowd, Sakura had no clue. She could see no more than blurbs of people each blurring into the next. But Ino had a sense for these things, as not two minutes passed before she came to a screeching halt, with Sakura nearly barrelling her over.

"There!" Ino hissed, discreetly pointing out a group of men a little ways to their left. Sakura followed Ino's finger out of her peripheral, spotting Shikamaru quickly enough. She reeled inwardly with mild surprise – she rarely saw Shikamaru out of his jounin garb, so the charcoal yukata he donned was quite a change. Genma was also there, and-

Sakura froze. Standing as regally as ever, in a traditional yukata not unlike the one she had picked out for Sasuke earlier, was Itachi. It took her a moment to fully comprehend what she was seeing. Shikamaru and Itachi were on the same team? _What the hell?_

"Right, so," Ino continued, unaware of her friend's newfound distress. "You see who I'm talking about, Right? Uchiha Itachi. But it shouldn't be too much of a problem for you, right? I mean, you know him and everything, since you and Naruto practically live at Sasuke's."

"I don't know, Pig, it's-"

"You promised!" Ino cut in, a sort of mild desperation seeping into her cerulean eyes. In a quieter voice, she added, "Shika's leaving on another mission tomorrow morning. This is my only chance."

Sakura heaved another sigh. "Fine, let's go."

It was like this that Ino, with a mildly nervous smile on her gorgeous face and Sakura, with a little more than poorly hidden distress on hers, set out towards the group of three. A few feet away from the men, Sakura finally screwed up enough courage to plaster a playful smile on her face, and jabbed Ino none too gently in the ribs to remind her to do the same. Sakura had no doubt that they looked like fools.

"Itachi-kun!" Sakura called, voice cracking at the slight falsetto. She added a dainty little wave for effect. "Genma, Shikamaru!"

Ino mirrored Sakura's wave, albeit with more believability. "Good evening, boys," she called, every bit her usual charming self. All signs of her earlier distress had completely vanished, and the smile she wore differed from nothing, betrayed nothing about their plan to con Konoha's number one team.

The reactions they received were just as predictable.

Shikamaru offered a lazy greeting, comprised of a yawn and slight wave. Genma turned his arrogance and charm up three notches, flashing them each a playful smile. It was nothing personal, of course, and both girls rolled their eyes at his behaviour. Itachi simply regarded them with smouldering onyx orbs, offering a slight bow in greeting.

A second later, however, Sakura caught Genma's eye, and even more unfortunately, the suggestive twinkle in it. The effect was almost overwhelming, as her heart plummeted, froze and imploded.

_Oh no, no, no, no!_

The fact had escaped her almost entirely – how could she have been so stupid? How could she have possibly forgotten that he _knew_? He, who could certainly not be trusted with such a secret. Oh, kami, she was _screwed._ She had no doubt that Sasuke would kill her if she didn't do something to stop Genma from spilling the beans. In fact, she probably should've fled as soon as she saw Genma, but Ino's stupid pleading eyes and her stupid plight had been too overwhelming.

Sakura had half a mind to flee the scene immediately, lest she stay long enough for Genma to really blow her secret. If Itachi ever found out, she would be utterly devastated. Then eleven years of pining, secretly plotting, would have all been for nothing. Right. She would leave now, before anything could be revealed.

But then she saw Ino from her peripheral, all nervous doll-eyes, a sweet smile on her face, different from the one pumped full of charm, and Sakura knew that only Shikamaru could bring _that_ smile out.

Sakura blew out a silent sight, and simply pretended not to notice the mischief in Genma's eyes as she began her futile attempt to distract Shikamaru's genius teammates.

* * *

If Naruto had been a perceptive man, he would have seen the gradually growing annoyance and tension on Sasuke's patrician features. But thankfully for the blond, his girlfriend was everything he was not in that department. Hinata noticed quite awkwardly that Sasuke was becoming increasingly frustrated, presumably because of Naruto's non-stop rambling and the fact that he was undeniably currently the third wheel.

Despite their warming relationship, Hinata still had no wish to deal with a normal tempered Sasuke unless absolutely necessary. A prissy Sasuke was therefore definitely out of the question. For this reason, she pitied and admired Sakura at the same time. Hinata would never understand how the pink haired woman managed to deal with these two all the time. But pitying aside, Hinata was beginning to become worried that the volcano that was Sasuke would erupt sometime soon.

Where the hell was Sakura?

Hinata spotted her a second later, forced by the crowed to be within a feet of both Itachi and Genma. Even from afar, Hinata could see by her body language that she was uncomfortable as uncomfortable got.

Hinata frowned; Sakura was quite close to both men – why the hell did it look as if she wanted to flee the scene at the first sane opportunity?

She shrugged inwardly, and turned towards the two best friends. "Hey guys," she chirped. "I see Sakura-chan, let's go to her?"

Naruto chimed an agreement and all but dragged Hinata in the direction she pointed at. Grudgingly, Sasuke followed suite, a foot behind the lovers. However, when he saw just _who_ Sakura was currently conversing with, he froze.

Genma. Shit.

Subconsciously, his feet started shuffling faster. All he could think of, _hope_ for in that moment was that Genma's big mouth had yet to spill everything. Especially since his aniki was there too. _God damn_, he thought. _Why the hell does Itachi have to be teammates with that guy, of all people? And why in god's name is Sakura with the two of them?_

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, obliviously ploughing through the crowd. "There you are! Jeez, where did Ino take you to? We've been trying to find you for _ages_."

Sakura wanted to groan when he mentioned Ino, and did not miss the gleam of amusement pass through Itachi's eyes. Instead, she chided Naruto for being too loud. "I've been here this whole time," she said.

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "Really!"

Sakura nodded, and snuck a quick peek at Sasuke from her peripheral while she was at it. Sure enough, he was tense to the bone. _Right. Genma_, she thought. Being in Itachi's presence, away from the usual setting had made her light-headed and doe-eyed enough to momentarily forget the potential threat that was Genma.

But it didn't take long to remember, as the ice-cold feeling washed over her once more as she remembered what potentially lay in the balance. Covertly, she nodded at Sasuke, a barely noticeable tip of her head.

In their haste to coordinate a plan telepathically, both missed the flash of curiosity appear in Itachi's unmoving eyes.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura blurted, pasting on her surprised face. "I almost forgot, we promised shishou to move the new shipment of her er, stuff, into storage before midnight. She'll butcher us if we're late."

Sasuke looked for a moment as if disbelieving that moving crates, of all things, was the best excuse she could muster up. But it was better than nothing, so he nodded in agreement a moment later. "Aa. Let's go."

Without another second of hesitation, he grabbed onto her tiny wrist and whisked her away into the crowd. For the second time that night, she barely managed to spit out a hasty goodbye before she was dragged away from her current conversation.

The last thing they heard was a snickering Genma joking to the group that they'd make such an adorable couple.

* * *

As Sasuke was dragging Sakura away from the crowd, his mental status was doing a quick 180.

The more he walked, and the more he pondered, the more he thought that this secrecy, this pseudo-shame, was so entirely stupid. Why the hell were they trying so hard to cover up what had happened? It wasn't as if it was _bad_, as if it wasn't natural.

In fact, most people would probably think that it's the most natural thing in the world, since Naruto started dating Hinata a while ago.

Why the hell should they care if Genma told everyone everything? Which, Sasuke was sure, was bound to happen soon enough. And why the hell should he care if Itachi knew? In any case, it really wasn't any of Itachi's that they had slept together.

By the time they reached the edge of the festival parameters, Sasuke had adopted a whole new mentality. But before he could declare his new resolution to Sakura, she beamed up at him.

"Thanks, Sasuke-kun," she said while straightening out her yukata. "It would be super awkward if Itachi-kun f-" she paused for a second, and seemed to reconsider. "If Itachi-kun and Naruto and everyone else found out."

If Itachi found out? Why did she care about _that_? Of course, he knew about the little fixation Sakura had with his aniki, the one that she'd had for eleven years. But it had always been just that, a childish interest. Was she actually serious about this?

Again, before he could voice his thoughts, she interrupted him. "Anyways, I really should get going. Shishou needs me at the hospital at six tomorrow. Bleh."

And just like that, with a chaste kiss on his cheek she was gone.

* * *

Later that night, Sasuke was grouchier than usual.

The frustration had simply welled up higher and higher within him after Sakura's departure. Unwillingly, his mind had gone over the event again. While his newfound opinion was unswayable, he reluctantly agreed that it was something they would probably never do again.

Foremost and more importantly they were friends, teammates and family. When put in those terms, having sex casually seemed a little unusual, if not a little sick. But pondering it like this, Sasuke regretted nothing. If anything, Sakura was quite amazing in bed (not that they even made it there at first). The fact that she seemed rather ashamed of it actually, he realized, pissed him off. He _was_ one of the most eligible bachelors in Konoha, or so he'd been told. Women fought to court him – if not for his looks, then for his money and power. In either case, Sakura's reaction was simply too damn different and somewhat insulting.

It wasn't even as if they'd done anything extravagant.

It hadn't been intentional, of course. Naruto had left rather early from their little celebration, or rather, his drunken body had been dragged away by an amused Hinata. In any case, it left Sasuke and Sakura alone to finish their festivities. Kakashi had dipped out early as well, murmuring something about his old bones not being able to handle their young blood, or some other asinine excuse. They had both laughed though, because the relationship between their still-perverted teacher and Anko was now common knowledge in their circles. And it didn't take a genius to figure out where their silver-haired sensei was headed off to.

Chatting and laughing, they soon lost track of the time and more importantly, the number of drinks they downed. Before another two hours had passed, even Sasuke was past the point of basic coherence. From this point forward, his memories were a blur – bits and pieces return to him occasionally. Images like the two of them staggering down emptying streets, Sakura laughing hysterically and Sasuke doing some equally stupid thing. The most important memory however, was firmly implanted in his brain.

Sasuke realized he would never be able to think of Sakura as anything other than a sister-like figure, but it was impossible to forget the defined curves of her petite body. He would have to be gay _and_ senseless not to notice and admire them.

So why the hell didn't she reciprocate these slightly-awkward, but perfectly natural feelings?

The more he pondered, the angrier he became. It was like this, with a growing cloud of anger thundering over him that Sasuke returned home an hour later. In the hour he spent walking around, his mood had only continued to plummet, and by the time he threw open the door, he was nothing less than a ball of fury. If it had been his mother standing in the doorway, she would have done a double take.

But it was not Mikoto standing in the foyer. Instead, Itachi was leaning against the wall, an outdated newpapser dangling precariously between his long fingers. Sasuke, having never been so emotionally disturbed before, only felt more anger at seeing his beloved aniki. Especially since his mind had deduced rather correctly that Itachi was the reason that Sakura seemed ashamed of the situation.

Itachi noticed Sasuke's sour mood, but made no comment. If Sasuke had been in his usual frame of mind, he would have seen the glint of determination flash through the elder Uchiha's eyes. That alone would have been enough of a hint to raise his guard. But, blinded by his annoyance, Sasuke could only bark out a "What?"

Itachi had the gall to look amused. "I trust that Hokage-sama's shipment of things went smoothly?"

Sasuke nearly barked "what shipment?" before he remembered Sakura's stupid lie. He offered a crisp nod, and tried to squeeze past Itachi into the house. Itachi however, seemed bent on having a conversation with his younger brother and was rather nonchalantly blocking the entranceway. Sasuke knew enough of the Uchiha pig-headed gene to offer only a sigh in protest, knowing that if he didn't give Itachi what he wanted, they'd never move from their current position.

"What is it, Itachi?" Sasuke sounded exasperated. He suddenly felt rather exhausted, physically and mentally.

"...How is Sakura?"

_Huh?_

"She's fine," Sasuke replied. _Itachi_ was interest in Sakura? Sasuke refused to believe it for more than it was. "Why?"

Itachi shrugged gently. "She seemed a little tense during the festival today."

_It's your fault, anyhow_, Sasuke thought. The truth of this statement fuelled his anger even more when he realized just how true it was. Sakura _had_ been tense, and although Genma was the surface source of unease, it was actually all Itachi's fault. Sasuke felt his annoyance grow. "She's fine," he repeated.

Itachi gave him a cynical look as if to voice is disbelief, but didn't say anything more. Unfortunately, his silence did not bring Sasuke the result he had hoped for; Itachi budged not one inch, and the entranceway was as blocked as it was before their little exchange. Finally, after two minutes of silent regard, Sasuke's annoyance burst. "Why do you care anyway? You've known her for eleven years, and you've never once asked after her like this before. Why the sudden interest?"

Then, to Sasuke's ultimate horror, Itachi replied, "She is of a certain interest to me."

_Itachi was interested in Sakura_.

_Itachi, his _aniki_, was interested in Sakura, his _sister.

In his current conflicted mindset, no matter what angle he examined the situation from, it seemed wrong. Somehow, the relation seemed incestuous in his mind, nevermind the fact that his own sexual endeavour was much more so. He also refused to acknowledge that it was probably simply his own discomfort making these shrewd conclusions.

So in a moment of insanity, he made up his mind to fix the situation once and for all. The next day, when he remembered what he had done, he was sure he'd been drunk. There was simply no way he would do something this insane and stupid sober. But truthfully, he was as sober as he'd ever been in his life when he said, "We're dating."

The absurdity of that statement didn't hit him until much later, and when it did, he felt nauseous. But for the present, the statement had its desired effect as Itachi jolted backwards slightly, evidently shocked by the unexpected statement. Smug, Sasuke pushed past his stunned aniki, into the depths of his home.

Unfortunately, he didn't realize what a grand chain of events he had set off by this moment of insanity until it was entirely too late to turn back.

* * *

tbc

* * *

_I just want to address something a reviewer commented on a while ago. They pointed out that all these events happen so conveniently, such as Itachi stumbling upon the Sakura sexy-no-jutsu. Every chapter will probably contain something of this sort of the other, because this story was never meant to flow as a normal story. I left a warning before the first chapter, stating that this is a series of one-shots. All the chapters are supposed to be snapshots of different periods of their lives - which is why some of the future chapters may not be chronological. I don't know if I'm really explaining it properly, but readers, you'll understand me as the story progresses (I hope). It was an excellent question, and I'm glad you brought it up._

_and lastly, thanks to all that reviewed/read/fav'd/alerted the last chapter. It means the world to me!_


	6. held in a lunar synthesis

**title: **held in a lunar synthesis**  
prompts: **42. panic button & 92. success

**Summary: **In which Sakura grows up, one step closer to approaching that epiphanous dream.

* * *

Itachi frowned down at the painting his mother was currently mounting.

The foyer where they currently stood had a quality about it that made anything on the walls seem wretchedly ugly. The current painting, like the ten before it, was perfectly agreeable on its own. In fact, Itachi had been the one to point his mother towards the painting in the store. But in their odd foyer, the painting only seemed out of place.

Mikoto took a step back, on par with Itachi to admire her work. Itachi could tell by a quick peek from his peripheral that the only thing she enjoyed was how perfectly she had mounted the frame, and that the painting was again a disaster. The Uchiha matriarch let out a sigh. "We're never going to find something for this wall."

Itachi, never one to willingly upset his mother, didn't reply. As the somewhat distraught woman moved forward to remove the painting, the front door creaked open to their left. Sasuke breezed in blithely, and if he was surprised to see his mother and brother standing in the foyer, he didn't show it. As soon as he saw the object of their attention though, his face twisted into one of displeasure. "Okaa-san. Aniki. That painting is hideous," he said with a slight bow of greeting, and without another word, walked past them and towards his room.

Mikoto seemed to take Sasuke's words to heart, as she grabbed the portrait none too gently from the wall without another moment's hesitation. "Go tell your brother that lunch's in an hour, alright?"

Itachi nodded politely to his mother's request, but had no real intention of following through. Things with Sasuke had been a little...awkward, simply put. Itachi was convinced that it had nothing to do with Sasuke current girlfriend – rather, it was because of Sasuke's smug attitude _concerning_ said girlfriend that kept them in their awkward tango. Itachi followed the same path Sasuke had not a minute prior, towards the back of their household.

He had barely stepped into the "private" quarters of their household before he froze dead in his tracks. Stumbling out of Sasuke's room, still hazy with sleep, rubbing her eyes, was Haruno Sakura. The distance that separated them was less than preferable; Sasuke's room was one of the closest to the outer, shared area, and by the time she was fully conscious, they were within ten feet of each other. Her reaction was comical, as she blinked, rubbed her eyes, and blinked again.

"Oh!" she gasped finally. "Good morning, Itachi-kun."

"Sakura," he acknowledged.

She looked as if she was going to say something else, when she suddenly seized up and looked down at herself. A slight squeak of embarrassment escaped her when she took in her image – one fluffy sock, no pants, and an oversized shirt of Sasuke's that was unfortunately, more crinkled than she had ever seen it in her life. She had no doubt that her face and hair looked even more unfortunate than her clothing – she could just imagine the basket of knots and frizz that was probably her hair, and the dark circles under her eyes.

In one last act to preserve her dignity, she resolved not to shove her face into her palms and stay like that forever. Instead, she only laughed sheepishly, scratching her head. Itachi noticed with amusement that she resembled the blonde third of their trio when she did that, but refrained from commenting. She looked mortified enough as it was without him comparing her to Konoha's Most Obnoxious.

"Err," she stumbled. "I'm going to go take a shower, so, uh...See you later!"

With that, she ducked back into Sasuke's room, the door slamming shut behind her. Through the thin walls, Itachi heard her groans of mortification and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

His amusement however, was cut rather short by the arrival of his dear brother. Further down the hall, Sasuke emerged from one of the many doors. When the younger Uchiha walked past his aniki, he gave the older man a look of smug curiosity before disappearing behind the same door Sakura had.

Itachi scowled as he walked down the hall to his room. The day suddenly seemed awfully gloomy.

* * *

"Oh my _god_," Sakura groaned. "Your brother probably thinks we're sleeping together now. Or worse, _dating_."

Sasuke looked up from his mission report, snorting, "Dating is worse than sleeping together?"

"Of course!" she huffed. "If we're dating, that means it actually _means_ something. And what if Mikoto-san finds out? She's going to be so ecstatic and excited all at once that I won't be able to have the heart to tell her otherwise."

"And why do you care if he thinks we're dating? It's not like this is the first time you've slept over."

"It's not just _him_," she answered unconvincingly. "It's a matter of propriety."

Sasuke snorted again. "Right. Like you've ever cared about _propriety_."

"Hey!" she pouted, slapping his arm none too gently. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sasuke refrained from nursing the pain from his arm as he rolled his eyes. "Absolutely nothing, Sakura."

The rose haired woman placed her hand on her hips in a gesture of defiance. "I swear, Uchiha Sasuke, you are absolutely _impossible_ sometimes."

He ignored her last comment as he continued, "Anyways, hurry up and change already. Lunch is soon."

Sakura threw her hands up in a gesture of resignation as she started to change. "And you wonder why I think men are _pigs_."

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around, Naruto had also found his way to the Uchiha home.

With Naruto there, the family that was Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura was complete. And now that Sasuke and Sakura were dating, Itachi never felt so awkward. Of course, none of his apprehension showed, but watching the interactions of the three, of Sakura force-feeding Sasuke, Naruto acting like a child, and Sakura giggling despite it all, Itachi started eating faster. Unnoticed to him, Mikoto shot him a curious glance – though her eldest had always been rather antisocial, he seemed especially so today.

Suddenly Naruto gasped, resulting in some stray pieces of rice flying in every direction. Itachi tried to suppress the scowl threatening to play across his face."Sakura-chan! I totally forgot! Baa-chan told me to tell you to go see her, ASAP! She seemed pretty pissed about something."

At this, Sakura punched him none too gently. "You tell me this now? What if it had been something urgent? Oh, shishou is going to _kill_ me!"

With this, the pink haired woman seemed to forget all about lunch, the Uchihas and everything around her. She scrambled to her feet, murmuring apologies to Mikoto. Before Mikoto could have the chance to say "it's no problem," Sakura had already disappeared from the dining room. Mikoto laughed, Naruto blew out a sigh of relief and Sasuke simply rolled his eyes at Naruto's idiocy.

In the moment, no one saw the look of absolute curiosity flicker across Itachi's face.

* * *

"Thanks for joining me, Sakura," Tsunade commented dryly.

Sakura winced at the tone. She had tried to get here as fast as possible – it only took her two minutes! – but by the look on Tsunade's face, it hadn't been nearly fast enough. Sakura offered the woman a slight bow. "Sorry shishou. Naruto's not the most reliable messenger."

Tsunade sighed. "I know. But I thought he would be able to handle at least that."

Sakura allowed a sheepish grin and a slight shrug. "Naruto will be Naruto."

Tsunade seemed to acquiesce silently, albeit grudgingly, but sobered up in a moment. "This is why I called you here." As she said this, she tossed a sealed scroll at Sakura. The latter caught the object within her fingers easily, and with a curious gleam in her eyes, broke the seal open. Tsunade was quiet as Sakura skimmed the contents of the page.

Few words on the page stuck with Sakura as she swept her gaze over the long paragraphs. Seeing these particular words, she didn't know whether to be excited, confused or just fearful. _ANBU. S-Class. Undetermined length. _She settled for excited – if this was what she taught it was, Naruto and Sasuke were going to be _so_ jealous! It was extremely rare for a jounin to be sent on an unclassified mission with the elite, and a recently inaugurated jounin was even less likely.

Tsunade confirmed her thoughts a moment later.

"Their medic is currently unavailable, and I'll be damned if I send them into this with no medic."

Sakura's first thought was, _why me_? She knew there were plenty of capable medics in ANBU, and she would be naïve to think herself the best. Tsunade seemed to see the scepticism on her apprentice's face, for she sighed and continued. "You're the best fit for this job. You're familiar with the team, and frankly," Tsunade looked her straight in the eye. "I trust that you'll be able to haul their asses back here."

Tsunade answered Sakura's next unspoken question as well, written as it was across the latter's face. "They're difficult. The mission is difficult. So altogether, it's damn _hard_ to find a medic that can survive with them. But," Tsunade trailed off here, giving her a hard look. "Are you ready for this?"

Sakura nearly stumbled over her words in her haste to blurt out, "Yes, shishou!" as quickly as she could.

Tsunade heaved another sigh, looking away. "I know...But it's extremely dangerous, Sakura." The Hokage could see in Sakura's vibrant orbs that her decision had already been made, but even so, she couldn't spare her last words. "Consider it carefully."

Sakura's enthusiasm simply couldn't be quelled, as she affirmed. "I'm ready for this, shishou."

Tsunade gave a curt nod. "You can come in now."

Behind them, the mahogany door opened almost immediately, startling Sakura. Tsunade's off-topic command had barely registered in the pink-haired woman's mind before it was shocked with the image of Uchiha Itachi materializing before her. The latter gave a polite bow to the blonde sitting behind the desk before taking a spot next to Sakura.

When his presence _did_ register with Sakura, she was reeling with the effect of it all. Tsunade's words made sense now. Difficult team. Her familiarity with the team. _Oh Kami_, she wanted to scream. She was suddenly filled with such a mixture of excitement and nervousness that she could no longer discern the origins of the butterflies in her stomach. A mission with Itachi. A chance to spend time together with him, as well as a chance to show him all that she had accomplished over the years. It was almost too good to be true, yet…

The weight of such a responsibility played heavily on her. With her team, she was sure of their dynamic, familiar with all their tactics and consequently, with all the ways they would probably become injured. In that effect, she would be able to fix them up efficiently and quickly, before moving on. With _Itachi's _team, it would be a whole different story. Throughout her career, she had subbed in for medics on various teams, and though they had always been successful for the most part, she couldn't deny the lack of chemistry. Though she had grinded through it, she hadn't felt comfortable in the least. In fact, mobilising with other teams was simply stressful.

With Itachi's team, the slightest mishap would cost them _everything_. She didn't know whether or not Genma or Shikamaru would be accustomed to her style, and thereby be there to finish anything she would miss. She didn't know how their dynamics would play out, and she certainly didn't know how Itachi would react to her skills. The last one chewed on her nerves the most. The level of personal investment on her part was different with Itachi than it was with her best friends. What she felt for him was so entirely different from the family love she felt for her teammates that suddenly, she wasn't sure if _she_ would jeopardize mission.

Thankfully, the two other occupants of the room seemed unaware of her internal dilemma. And if they were aware, they feigned ignorance, of which she was also grateful. Tsunade continued with her instructions.

"Mihako is the lord of the Rice Country," Tsunade continued, strangely monotone. "Coincidently, he also moonlights as the biggest drug trafficker in his area. Which wouldn't be _our_ problem, except it seems to have gotten into his head that he's good enough to steal now. Apparently, the drug money is no longer enough. Last week he intercepted a crucial document from a neighbouring country. Retrieve it. The rest of the information is written down for you. This is _urgent_."

Sakura almost shivered at the toneless voice of her surrogate mother. Even when Tsunade was _really_ angry, upset, or anything, actually, emotionless was never something she pulled. But seeing the blonde like this, the eerie feeling that she had stepped over an invisible threshold couldn't be shaken. Even in the way Tsunade treated this mission, talked about it, Sakura could sense the difference in style and difficulty. It probably should've made her blood run cold, but instead, only got her adrenaline pumping.

Beside her, Itachi bowed again. "We will depart in the morning, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade grunted an okay, and waved her hands to dismiss them. Itachi slipped out without another glance, and Sakura followed suite shortly after. Though she was only a few seconds after Itachi, she delayed herself long enough to see the look of apprehension crossing Tsunade's face.

* * *

Sakura didn't ask Itachi where he was headed, and he didn't ask her where she was headed. Yet, they fell into step with each other, and by an unspoken consensus they headed towards the Uchiha compound. In all honesty, Sakura didn't know what to say. She _felt_ as if she probably should say something – mission related, of course, but nothing smart sounding came to mind. Itachi, too, seemed to be perfectly content with their silence, so in the end, Sakura uttered not a syllable on the entire journey back.

Itachi was curious at her uncharacteristic behaviour, but was thankful that she decided to refrain from talking. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy conversation with the pink haired woman. In fact, she had grown up into a very intelligent woman capable of challenging even _his_ intellect, and she never failed to amuse him. Yet, too many other things took precedence at the moment for him to be in want of conversation.

At their leisurely pace, they reached home in about fifteen minutes. When they passed the narrow road that led to the entrance, he was hit by a sense of déjà vu. A small bundle of pink flashed before his eyes then, full of smiles amidst the winter air, with a small bunch of flowers. In another second the image disappeared, replaced by the woman now standing next to him, a whimsical smile on her face. By the time she recovered from her own dose of nostalgia, Itachi had already filed every piece of their past away. Sakura blushed when she realized he was looking at her with no small amount of amusement.

"Sorry," she laughed sheepishly. "Just some memories."

"Aa," he replied, a small smile playing on his lips.

Not a minute later they stepped through the front doors, and from her vantage point, Sakura could see Naruto and Sasuke still lounging in the living room. They had only been gone thirty minutes after all, and knowing them, Naruto was probably still touting Mikoto's cooking, and Sasuke trying his best to ignore his best mate. Muttering a quiet goodbye to Itachi, Sakura turned right, setting out towards the living room. She was halfway there when Itachi called out, "Be at the East Gate at 6am sharp tomorrow."

At this, both men on the sofa turned their heads towards the duo, surprise evident on their faces. By the time they recovered enough from their initial shock for Naruto to yell out, "what's going on tomorrow?", Itachi had already disappeared. Sakura sighed, knowing the inevitable yelling and protesting that was about to ensue.

"I'm going on a mission with Itachi's team tomorrow," Sakura replied as she dropped down onto the couch next to Naruto. Naturally, she draped her legs across both their laps. "Emergency substitute."

"Why!" Naruto gasped. "We're supposed to go training tomorrow. You're going to leave me alone with this idiot?"

"Who're you calling an idiot?" Sasuke interrupted, clearly annoyed.

"You! Bleh. And you wonder why I call you stupid…" Naruto trailed off, seeming to remember his primary topic. "Anyways, Sakura-chan, why you? The teme's brother is going to work you like a slave! I heard Genma talking about it the other day!"

Sasuke didn't say anything, but the pointed look her shot her spoke bounds. Oddly, this annoyed her, but she just shrugged. "Shishou offered, and I accepted. Besides, you two should be happy for me! It's a great opportunity."

"But Sakura-chan-"

"But what, Naruto?" Sakura replied, her tone suddenly dangerous. This was a good a warning as they were ever going to get, and Naruto, though commonly known for his lack of tact, backed off. He quite liked being unharmed, thank you very much. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Sasuke. Regarding some things, he was even more gauche than Naruto. While the Uchiha was worried in part for her safety, there was also a nagging feeling at the back of his mind concerning the _tiny_ white lie he had woven. Not that it bothered him much, of course. He highly doubted that either person would bring it up in conversation during the mission; Itachi certainly wouldn't, and judging by the ridiculously infatuation Sakura seemed to have with Itachi, she certainly wouldn't either.

But still, even the slightest feeling of discomfort was absolutely unacceptable.

"Sakura," Sasuke started, serious for the first time that day. "Be careful. His team does not play around."

Sakura blinked up him curiously, and though she rarely voiced the thought, it warmed her heart to see the vines of concern flashing through his smouldering eyes.

* * *

Thirty two hours later, Sakura was absolutely exhausted.

She had gotten to the gate at 6am as instructed, and was surprised to find herself to be the last one to arrive. By their stances, Sakura could tell that they had been there for at least ten minutes already. Though none of the men commented on her pseudo-tardiness, she still felt her face burn slightly under her borrowed ANBU mask. It always surprised her when she worked with other teams and everyone arrived on time, but she was never the last one.

That experience was the first of many _firsts_ she would experience that day.

Now, lying in a rather small clearing within a foot of each man, she wanted nothing more than to just pass out. They had barely taken a break during the day, and neither Shikamaru nor Genma seemed to mind in the least. Sakura knew it was necessary if they wanted to reach their destination in the fastest time possible, but would it _kill_ him to let them take a fiver every five, six hours? She was beginning to think that not stopping would probably end up killing _her_.

In the mess of things, Sakura's mat had ended up wedged firmly between Shikamaru's and Itachi's. Genma, thank heavens had been placed on Shikamaru's other side, far away from her. That was another thing. The damn bastard had been giving her suggestive looks all day, so much so that she was beginning to be suspicious. Did he know something _else?_ The fact that she and Sasuke had slept together should have worn out its interest with him by now, but he was still lording his good information over her.

Sakura shook her head inwardly. She was overthinking things again. How could Genma know anything else? There _was_ nothing else to know. Satisfied with her conclusion, Sakura forced her eyes shut, intent on getting some sleep. She could hear a quiet yawn from the far side where Shikamaru had taken up the first watch, and dreaded her shift two hours from now. Sleep was absolutely necessary after the day that had just passed and the one that was imminent tomorrow.

Except Itachi was within a foot of her, and she could feel his near-silent, steady breathing. Though the stable intervals between his inhales and exhales suggested his lack of consciousness, Sakura somehow doubted that he was already asleep. She had this feeling that Itachi never really _slept_, even at home, which would explain the permanent lines etched onto his handsome face.

In truth Sakura wanted nothing more than to talk to him, look at him, do _something_ with him, exhilarated as she was at being within such close proximity to him. But she contained herself, as anything less would have shown a degree of immaturity that would have for sure warranted that she never act as their stand-in medic again. And, she should have probably been focusing on sleeping, and allowing him to catch up on some well deserved rest.

Right, sleep.

In the end, her willpower was no match for her strong desire to say _something_.

"Itachi-kun?" she murmured, not looking at him, and not expecting anything in reply. It was unsurprisingly that she received no verbal answer, but she thought she felt the slightest of shifts in his person that signalled his attention. Sakura didn't quite know what to say next, as his name had slipped through her lips before she had been fully aware. But the stars, at which her eyes were currently focused were so mesmerizing that she didn't quite care.

She also didn't quite care that her thoughts were becoming rather nebulous and disjointed as the desire to sleep crawled into her consciousness. It also didn't occur to her that she probably sounded like a desperate teenage girl when she murmured in a slightly husky voice, "Good night, Itachi-kun."

She was asleep by the time the statement slipped by her, the trials of the day finally catching up with her. It was fortunate for her, or she would have died of the mortification of knowing that she had disturbed Itachi for something as asinine as saying _good night_.

But unfortunately for her, she also missed the wisps of a small smile play on his lips.

* * *

Five days later, Sakura was in a state of absolute panic. Not that she let it show, of course, but inside, she was a flurry of emotions raging like a rampant hurricane.

Everything had gone according to plan. Every last detail had been executed to perfection, and their goal reached. Yet, between the end and _now_ was such a drastic difference that her mind could barely work fast enough to fill in the gap. She felt like screaming _what the hell happened_? even though she knew full well what had occurred, but it was all too surreal to accept.

For one, the limp load on her back was a good reminder that their lives were on the verge here. More accurately, _his_ life was on the verge.

It had been smooth and flawless to begin with. They had slipped into Mihako's complex unnoticed, and had gotten the stolen document. It had all seemed too easy, and though they had their suspicions, there was nothing more they could do without stupidly jeopardizing their mission. They had even made it out of the complex completely unscathed, which only increased the tension mounting within them. Shinobi, and ANBU especially, were trained to be paranoid in the most, and as it turned out, they were absolutely right.

Waiting for them ten minutes away from the complex was the largest ambush Sakura had ever encountered in her life. There had been so many that at first glance she estimated 30, maybe 40, but it seemed never ending. Every time they knocked down one enemy nin, two more seemed to take their place. By some miracle, she met Itachi's eye from across the battle field, and though it was only for a split second, and though they had only been on the same team for less than a few days, Sakura knew exactly what he wanted by the look on his face. Taking another second to nod and to see who was closer to her, Genma or Shikamaru, Sakura prepared to execute her part.

As Sakura prepared to punch-kick the largest crater of her life, she dearly hoped that she had understood Itachi correctly. As it turned out, it she would never really know if it had been her intuition and comprehension or his acumen reflexes that saved their hides. Whatever the original plan was, or if this _was_ the original plan, Sakura had no clue. But she was completely dazed when she saw the black flames of Amaterasu burst to life in her enormous crater, forgetting completely their deadly effects and amazed only by its magnitude and twisted beauty. She was so dazed, in fact, that she nearly missed her cue, and barely tugged Shikamaru away before the unforgiving flames reached them. She could see that Itachi and already informed Genma of the change of plans, as they were already bounding away.

Sakura wasted no time in following.

They continued like that, charging away at impossible speeds for another thirty minutes. Then, came the change. It had been so subtle at first that Sakura had barely noticed it, but as the minutes wore on, Sakura was convinced that something was amiss with Itachi. From her vantage point, she could almost see the discomfort rolling off him in waves, and how he favoured his left side slightly. _Very_ slightly, Sakura noted, so slight that to anyone's untrained eyes, there would be nothing wrong with their Captain.

After a few more minutes, Sakura's initial observation was replaced by worry. Though she had never worked with Itachi, she knew him well enough to know that he was the type to _never_ show weakness. This blatant display of weakness could only mean one thing – there was something very wrong with Itachi. There wasn't much more she could discern at their current pace of travel, which left her with a very difficult decision to make. If she followed her instinct and went against all established hierarchies within a team atmosphere and told them all to stop, she could very well be wrong, which could only end badly. Not only would they all think her inexperienced, it would probably ruin her forever in Itachi's eyes. If, however, on the off chance that she was correct, she would probably be saving Itachi's life.

In the end, it was barely a hard decision. Without thinking much, she sped up to where Itachi was. When she finally fell into pace next to him, she knew that she had made the right decision. Itachi looked awful. She could see the barest of stains seeping through his gear, and by the awkward way he held himself, she figured he had probably broken a rib.

"We need to stop. Right now," she told him. Her tone left no room for argument, surprising the older man.

"Return to your place. Do not argue with me," replied Itachi. Thankfully that was the reply Sakura had been expecting, so she was not in the least bit deterred.

"Itachi-san," she said in her best no-nonsense medic voice. "It is within my power as your medic to tell you that we need to _stop_. We have a bit of time to spare. Those nin are at least ten minute behind us."

If Itachi was surprised at her change from the more familiar _kun_ to the oddly detached –_san_, he made no note of it, just as he betrayed none of his surprised at her determination. "No. We are to continue until we reach Konoha."

"Please do not force me to resort to force, thus using up precious chakra that I could otherwise use healing you three."

She was tense to the bone as she said this, knowing that no amount of force she could muster up would be able to overpower him. The next five seconds, she mused, were probably five of the longest during the entire mission, which was saying a lot, because she had barely skimmed a particularly violent jutsu back on the field. In the end though, without saying a word, Itachi slowed down, landing in the closest clearing. Genma and Shikamaru seemed to know what Itachi was thinking, because they followed suite without so much as a blink of the eye. Sakura, who by theory should have been least surprised by the change in course was actually the most surprised, and as a result nearly skipped right by the landing.

From the stern look in Itachi's hard eyes, Sakura figured that he probably would not take it well if she healed him first instead of his subordinates. This was one thing she could compromise on, after his much grander compromise. But still, she knew she had not a second to waste. Scurrying over to Shikamaru's side, she did a preliminary chakra-over. Surprisingly enough Shikamaru was relatively unharmed and in no danger at all. Giving him a terse smile, Sakura moved to Genma. Likewise, Genma was in passable shape, and after grazing over the only semi-serious injury with her glowing palms, Sakura stood up, spinning around simultaneously.

Also simultaneously, her heart froze.

For the second time that day, her mind wheeled to fill in the missing gap of time in her mind between _now_ and _then_. Just three minutes ago, Itachi had been standing, seemingly well if not a little worse for the wear. Despite what looked like still open-wounds and a broken rib, he had been holding himself so remarkably well that she had written him out of immediate danger.

That assumption was probably a mistake she would never make again.

Crouched rather unseemingly on the ground was Itachi, left hand to his stomach area and right hand lying limp next to him. Sakura tried her best to suppress the rising panic in her throat – _what the hell had happened_? But soon enough, she was recovered from her momentary shock and next to the severely wounded Itachi.

With her right hand, she moved his bloodied left hand off his abdomen gingerly. She was met with a direly sorry sight. His abdomen had been slashed open, and the attack had apparently been followed by more blunt force to his ribcage. With nothing obscuring her view now, she could see that at least two ribs were broken. Without sparing as much as two seconds, she set down to work on him. Her heart sank further when she realzed that he had also sustained considerable internal damage; his liver and kidney had both been hit, and there was also evidence of some bleeding. Sakura barely noticed when Itachi sort-of-kind-of lost consciousness, or that his right arm seemed dislocated. All she could think of was to save him for the time being, at least well enough for them to make it back home.

She was also thinking about how amazing and stupidly stubborn he was to make it so far and not say a word of his fatal injuries. But this was a thought she tried to suppress as well – something along this school of thought always led to off topic thinking, and anything not related to medicine right now was probably detrimental.

By the time she finished forcing the bone to reconnect, and closing the large gash, and healing the cut on his liver, she noted exhaustedly that her own reserves were nearing a dangerously low level. That was, however, the least of her concerns as she moved to snap his shoulder back in place. They had already spent a good thirteen minutes in the clearing, and though she knew they had a very good lead, she didn't like the ideas of the enemies being so close again.

Without lollygagging another second, she pushed a minuscule amount of chakra into her arms and heaved the unconscious Itachi onto her back.

Which brought them back to _now_, her mind finally piecing together the events. Unfortunately, she was beginning to struggle in her movements to keep pace with the two men. The quick healing session had drained much more than she expected from her, and it was as if there was a bright, red, flashing warning sign in her mind at the moment. Genma chose that moment to turn and spare a glance at her, and must have been appalled at the weary look on her face, and sight of her for he silently motioned for her to pass their Captain over.

Sakura was about to protest when she realized how foolish that would be. Konoha was still a good forty minutes away, and at the rate she was carrying on, the chances of them making it back safely were quite slim. Still, she was somewhat reluctant as she handed Genma her precious cargo. Genma, despite his brash personality was surprisingly gentle with the man's limp body as he carried Itachi bridal style. Without the load on her back, Sakura felt her energy rebound slightly, and though she felt slightly uncomfortable, the word _failure_ floating by momentarily, she breathed a sigh of relief.

They would make it home.

* * *

tbc

* * *

_AN. Sorry for the wait. Hope the extra long chapter made up for it! And as always, thanks for the wonderful comments - they mean the world to me._


	7. lay awake in lust and rust in the rain

**title:** lay awake in the lust and rust in the rain  
**prompts:** 18. dreams & 93. glimpse

**Summary:** Two vignettes of Itachi and Sakura of the blurry years in-between, where she grows, he learns, and they progress. Towards what though, is still an unfolding mystery unknown to both.

**note:** This is the first anachronistic entry! It's a little (or two little) vignettes of the in-between years where the main-ish storyline doesn't really touch. Thus, it doesn't follow right where the last chapter left off. The next chapter, though, will continue where _held in a lunar synthesis_ left off. Enjoy!

* * *

To Sakura, the years in between were little more than blurs on canvas. Between her epiphany and eventual inauguration into the revered ranks of the Jounin folk, six long years had passed, with days, weeks and months often blurring together. Some memories stood out prominently against the rest; bright, bright streaks of anomalies against the otherwise monotonous picture. As a sentimentalist, Sakura tried to cling to them all. Memories, mostly with Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi; sometimes, but less often, with the rest of the Rookie Nine or even Tsunade and Shizune, were the only things she had left of what she could only call innocence. She knew now that _these_ were the things that had helped her live on, strive through the mess of pain, loss and frankly, more pain.

Amongst those golden memories, there were two that she kept extremely close to her heart, hidden under lock and key. These memories were the ones she guarded with as much ferocity and passion as the Konoha secrets entrusted to her as the Hokage's apprentice and top medic. This was a secret she kept from all, including the two closest to her heart. It wasn't as if she kept this secret intentionally – it simply never felt right to announce, and quite frankly, if the two men ever found _out_ about it, Pandora's box would look like little more than a sunny storm.

* * *

**YEAR FIFTEEN: **_of hurdles, obstacles, and setbacks_

Sakura wanted nothing more than to cry. It was a comforting thing, crying. Crying was the symbol of her childhood, the very embodiment of her innocence. There was nothing quite like the comfort of relinquishing all the stress of the world, heaving away everything in such simple droplets. It was no wonder then, that Sakura adored the rain. While girls like Ino frowned at that type of weather, muttering about hair, clothes and whatever else, Sakura was most comfortable in a torrential downpour.

On a rainy day, Sakura could revert to the comforts of her childhood, stress-free, without worrying about appearances or labels. On a rainy day, Sakura could just be _free_, burden-free and genuine to a fault. On a rainy day, Sakura could do all this _unnoticed_.

Which is why it was no wonder that on _that_ particular stormy day, Sakura was outside, alone in the dense Konoha forests. Naruto was away training, Sasuke was recovering in the hospital, and Kakashi was nowhere to be found. Thus, no one had inquired after her whereabouts with any particular interest, and she had been able to slip away in relative anonymity. Unlike how she lived her life the majority of the time, Sakura did not rush to her destination. There was no need to scurry from place to place, her eyes glued to the clock. So she strolled, leisurely and slowly, towards her favourite clearing.

It was an odd sight to behold, a young girl by civilian standards wandering the streets alone, seemingly senseless and completely drenched. There was however, no one to witness this spectacle, as most had kept to their indoor activities for the day, and even as she disappeared beyond the boundaries of the trees, naught but two souls saw her pass.

At her slow pace, it took her nearly triple the time it would normally take her to reach her spot of serenity. The rain had not relented at all, and not for the first time, she was grateful for the stifling Konoha heat. There was no doubt that she'd be freezing by now without the natural heat aid. Once she arrived, though, another surprise awaited her.

Never in the three years that she'd discovered this small opening had she ever met another soul within it. So she had taken forgranted that it was very much _hers_. But today, even before she had set food in the clearing, she felt it. Another presence was close, most likely within her spot, and was so relaxed that the person might have been asleep. Tentatively, she stepped into the area, not sure of the person or their intentions, though she was positive that he was a shinobi.

Through the downpour, it was remarkably difficult to see the other side of the small clearing where the other person lay, still unmoving. There was no threatening aura emanating from the person though, and since Sakura was in no mood whatsoever to play detective, she simply plopped down on her side, content to ignore his presence. Under the slight protection of the large elm, Sakura could enjoy the rain on her face without drowning in the water. Like this, all the stressful thoughts from her training dissipated within moments, and before she could count even fifteen sheep in her mind, she had already drifted off into another land.

In her dream, the rain also fell around her in sheets, nearly drowning her, but not. In her dream, there was red, and there was black, all mixed into a torrent of one entity she dreamed of often by the name of Itachi. In her dream, he was close, closer than he'd been to her in years. And in this dream, they were alone, entirely alone, in a way that she was sure could _only_ happen in dreams. It was a remarkably uncreative dream, for they were in the same clearing as the one she occupied currently in reality, and even more uncreative was that Itachi was exactly like the Itachi in reality, quiet, mysterious and an enigma altogether that she couldn't solve.

In this dream, he was lying next to her on the soaked grass, eyes also shut peacefully in a way she'd have thought impossible for a man so entrenched with the ways of a shinobi, and also, as it seemed, sleeping. It was the most uncreative dream she'd had to date starring Itachi, and by definition, also the most boring. They weren't _doing_ anything, per say, and they weren't having the deep soul conversations she so often dreamed of having with the man. And neither was he gazing at her through the rose coloured lenses of a lover.

They were simply _there_, resting, side by side, with no further interaction.

For reasons unknown to her, Sakura was incandescently happy like never before in this dream.

* * *

When Sakura woke an indeterminate amount of time later, she found that the patch of grass next to her had a distinct imprint of a human body, and that the mysterious other occupant of her clearing had disappeared.

* * *

**YEAR SEVENTEEN:**_ of becoming a woman, through and through_

Sakura often wondered at the rainy day two years ago. The more thought she gave to the subject, the more convinced she became of its inaccuracy. It had probably been nothing but a product of her wishful imagination after a long week, nothing more than the result of tenacious longing.

Despite her inability to determine its legitimacy, Sakura still cherished the memory. And though she hated to admit it, she was still a naïve sentimentalist at times. Most times. And as such, after that lovely rainy day, she had tried her hardest to visit the little clearing was as much frequency as her life and covertness would allow. But no matter how many times she visited, no matter how she tried to vary the time of day, time of month, time of week, she never encountered another person again. A few times she was even desperate enough to chance a visit when no rain fell over Konoha, but she had returned to civilisation disappointed every time.

And so today, even though the storm of the year raged on around her, Sakura found that she had no energy to brave another visit to the clearing. The spark of hope within her refused to be diffused, which meant that she would only be hit with a wall of disappointment once she arrived at the clearing to find it empty once more.

The rain, though, had been entirely too enticing to ignore, and with her ego, thoughts and mood completely shot to hell, she'd ventured outside without much thought of destination. Eventually she found a deserted place and with no hesitation, settled down against the wall. She looked for all the world like a homeless, sorry girl, but Sakura had not one ounce of care left in her. The spot she'd chosen was odd and altogether creepy, if she had given it any real thought. Sitting in the darkness, at three in the morning on a Wednesday evening, Sakura wondered at the usefulness of her own existence. What on earth was she doing here, outside the Uchiha compound, sulking like a beggar with no belonging?

In reality, Sakura had not known where else to go.

She had no idea where her teammates were. She figured they were probably all on a mission together, but didn't have the energy to find out. She felt entirely drained of everything, emotionally and physically. The drenched state of her physical self probably did nothing to help the fact, but she was too tired and broken to care.

She was seventeen already, for heaven's sake. Practically a veteran by shinobi standards, and definitely not of any age where moping about such an ordeal was acceptable. But here she was, sulking within herself at the loss of the last shred of her innocence. _Kunoichi mission_. When Tsunade had given her this mission, slightly hesitantly, Sakura had been confident of her own ability and mental status.

She'd considered it a rite of passage, almost. And even better was the fact that Ino had yet to have hers. But the experience. What on earth had she been expecting? Just another A-class mission? Aim, shoot and kill?

Sakura shut her eyes at the thought, which helped nothing. The images flowed without restriction through the forefronts of her mind, and when she opened her eyes, she eyed the small bottle dangling precariously between her fingers. It was unopened, clear, and altogether enticing. There was really nothing stopping her from turning to the intoxicating liquid in her hands. Many shinobi in their ranks turned to it. It was nothing to be openly admitted and discussed, of course, but the truth was always plain to see.

With some hesitation, Sakura twisted off the cap of the bottle.

Would it make her a lesser shinobi? A lesser woman? She liked to think not, but perhaps that was only her romanticization of the situation.

With even more hesitation, she brought the bottle to her lips. The smell was overwhelming, triggering her instinct to vomit. Sniffing quite daintily, she set the bottle back down on the cement. Then, she came to her senses. _Alcohol. Really?_ she thought, mentally berating herself. _You're better than that, idiot._

And that was how he found her.

There was nothing in his sophisticated mind that could vocalize the irony he felt when he caught sight of Sakura, sitting so dejectedly on the floor. It was the same road where they'd first encountered each other, all those years ago. But here he was, sober eight years now, ever since that significantly insignificant bundle of flowers. Yet here she was, about to turn down the same road. It didn't take a critical mind or eye to see that she'd just crossed yet another invisible shinobi line of no return. She was so out of it that she didn't even notice Itachi. To be completely fair, he _was_ still somewhat further down the road, and it was nearly pitch black outside…

In an impromptu decision, Itachi decided to stay still and watch.

It was fascinating, he decided later, watching her decision process. It was with disappointment that he couldn't explain when he watched her pick up the solitary bottle, and with suspended animation when he watched her eyeing the bottle precariously. And finally, it was with silent respect when he watched, through Sharingan activated eyes, the resolve fill into her own orbs as she corked the bottle shut tightly, and pocketed the bottle.

The small flower, so dainty and fragile was not as fragile as he'd once thought.

With five decisive strides, he was by Sakura's side. The girl looked startled beyond words when he materialized next to her, but embarrassment quickly replaced her surprise. "Itachi-kun!" she gasped, seeing the elder Uchiha brother.

"Sakura," he acknowledged. His next words, quiet and strong, were a mixture of relief and awe for her: "It's quite late. I'll accompany you home?" And then, he extended his hand down towards her.

Never mind the fact that she was well on her way towards becoming one of the most accomplished kunoichi of their generation. Never mind the fact that she was sitting outside his home in the middle of the night. Never mind the fact that she didn't need him to accompany her home. The only things that mattered in his appearance and words were that he didn't ask her for a reason or explanation, didn't expect her to do anything, and had offered her such an act of kindness that she didn't know what to do with it. His lack of curiosity was comforting, because the last thing she needed was to _talk _about it. In her state, she didn't stop to think about the absurdity of the situation.

It was only when he quirked a brow down at her did she realize his hand was still outstretched towards her. With a light blush, she accepted it and sprang to her feet.

"Ah," she stammered, not quite sure what to do with herself. "Thank you, Itachi-kun. But I'll be fine getting home on my own, hardly anyone about at this hour and all." She had half a mind she scratch her head sheepishly.

Nothing changed on his face, but he offered her a shrug and began walking. "It's no trouble."

Usually, Sakura would protest more at any hint of weakness, but this time, she let it slide. With a few quick steps, she had caught up to him, and for the first time since she finished that god awful mission, she felt the formations of a smile on her face.

"All right then. Thanks."

There was no corny hand holding, and no miraculous conversation that made Itachi fall as blindingly in love with her as she found herself with him. In fact there was no touching or conversation at all, only the buzzing of streetlights and the occasional scruffle of their feet.

But it was important to Sakura as many things were, inexplicably. It was no revelation, really, but in these moments, she realized something crucial.

One day, like this, she could forget and forgive, and more importantly, be incandescently happy again.

* * *

tbc

* * *

_Reviews are always extremely appreciated! Drop me a note! It'll make my day._


	8. and i see your progress stretched out

**title:** and I see your progress stretched out for miles and miles  
**word count:** 3065  
**prompts:** 018. honesty & 05. your precious someone

**Summary:** Itachi has an unexpected request. Sakura couldn't be happier to oblige.

* _picks up where_ held in a lunar synthesis_ left off. _

* * *

Sakura hummed along quietly as her fingers moved to nimbly weave the two needles together. The task at hand was more enjoyable than she had originally thought possible, though no less tedious. It was perfectly fine when all stitches flowed together nicely, but whenever she dropped a stitch, that was another question altogether. Even as she thought this, her fingers slipped ever so slightly, and the tenth stitch on her row slipped out of its knot, getting lost in the flow of yarn.

Sakura blew out a frustrated sigh. What on earth was she doing, sitting here and _knitting_? She blinked, and without another thought, set aside her project atop the coffee table under the window. Even with the blinds shut, a small stream of sunlight filtered through, bathing her creation in a dim light. It did nothing but sour her mood, and so she turned away from it altogether, intent on changing her thoughts to something less frustrating. Eyes wandering, she was dismayed to find that there was, unfortunately, nothing else of interest in her bleak little living room.

This was all Naruto and Sasuke's fault.

Seeing her after her mission with Itachi's team, both men had very nearly flipped. It did no good on her part to keep repeating that it was a _successful_ mission. All it took was for Naruto to see that she had been worked half to death by Sasuke's crazy brother, and for Sasuke to see the results of this _success_, for them to make such a decision for her. While she had still been at the hospital, half-recovering, half-attending her wounded teammates against the warnings of hospital staff, her boys had gone and made quite a spectacle of themselves at the Hokage's office.

To say the least, Tsunade had not been amused when two of her most promising shinobi stormed her office, demanding to know why their dear Sakura-chan had been put on a team with crazy men who did not value theirs, and more importantly, _her_ life. At least, _Naruto_ demanded as much, while Sasuke silently brooded, looking somewhat unsure as to whether or not he wanted to interject at his aniki being called a crazy man. Truth to be told, Tsunade had also been rather displeased at the state of Itachi's team upon return, but it was not much worse than she had truly expected.

They had all returned, albeit a little worse for the wear, and she was secretly proud that Sakura had done so well in the presence of the three stubborn men. Tsunade was a wise woman, though, and knew that voicing any of this would not appease the two even more pigheaded men currently occupying her office.

She sighed, suppressing the urge to rub her temples. "What do you want me to do, Naruto? She's a kunoichi. Being in danger is her _job_. Just as it is yours."

Naruto's mouth curled into a dissatisfied pout. "You're pushing her too hard! She just got promoted to Jounin and you're off throwing her into the ANBU already!"

"She's not strong enough, then?" Tsunade bit out dangerously, eyes flashing. Inwardly, though, Tsunade laughed, ecstatic that the young man had given her such an opening to exploit. "_You_, of all people, doubt her abilities?"

Naruto faltered. "Well, no-"

"She is more than capable," Sasuke cut in, sensing Tsunade's direction. "We, like you, want nothing more than to see her flourish. But to push herself this hard is insane – just give her a _break. _You know she won't allow herself one."

_Ah, well_, Tsunade thought, seeing that her plan had been thoroughly thwarted by the younger Uchiha. There was sense to his words, and since she wanted nothing more than for them to be out of her damn office, she acquiesced. "All right, all right, I'll take her off duty for a month and the hospital's roster for a week. No guarantees for emergency procedures though."

Naruto seemed to want to protest, but Sasuke gave him a particularly hard jab to the ribs. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

"You'll tell her, right?" Naruto said, rubbing his rib slightly.

Surprisingly, Tsunade burst out in howling laughter. "This was _your_ meddling! _You_ tell her, and don't go running to the hospital when she beats you black and blue," she laughed, a twinkle in her eye. "Oh, that'll be a show to watch…"

When the two men stood frozen, rooted to their spots, staring at their leader with fear in their eyes, she stopped laughing. "Well? Why are you still here? Go!"

Wasting no time, Naruto and Sasuke beat a quick exit from the Hokage's office. Barreling down the stairs, Naruto and Sasuke exchanged an uncertain look. "Well, at least we know where Sakura-chan's sadistic streak comes from now…"

Sasuke wished he didn't agree.

* * *

"To your recovery, Cap," Genma cheered teasingly, raising a glass. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, but didn't move forward from his laid-back position, with his left arm draped over the back of his chair. Itachi didn't react, and whether he was amused or annoyed was up to their discretion. He did, however, raise a glass as well, and acknowledged Genma's half-hearted well wishes with a small raise.

"To your escape from the hospital," Itachi replied almost monotonously, but his words had the desired effect, as Genma and Shikamaru both let out loud laughs. During Genma's relatively short (relative only in comparison to Itachi's prolonged three week stay), he had attempted to escape no less than ten times, each time with increasing fervor, protesting that he only had _minor_ injuries. The first three times Sakura had been the one to block his escape, but after that even she had agreed that he was fit for discharge. But unfortunately for Genma, that was also when Sakura received her own notice-for-rest, and was temporarily discharged from duty.

The unfortunate Genma was then confined to the hospital, kept there by the nurses who saw him to be "absolutely in no shape or form fit for discharge," all the while giggling and pointing in a very teenaged fashion.

"Well, the medics there all seem nice enough, until you really test them," Genma sighed. "_Then_ they remind you that they're every bit the shinobi you are. Sakura's got to be the best example of that madness."

"You'd do well to never screw with that girl," Shikamaru offered. When Genma turned an inquisitive stare on him that could only mean, _what, you speak from personal experience?_, Shikamaru shook his head. "You're forgetting that she and Ino are best friends."

"Where is she anyways?" Genma asked suddenly. "I thought we were going to invite her? She _was_ part of the team."

Shikamaru shrugged, and Itachi remained indifferent. "Guess we forgot," Genma answered his own question with a sigh. Ever since he had discovered her and Sasuke's secret, being in the girl's company had never been more amusing. Just as the thought trailed through the forefronts of his mind, the door to the restaurant flew open, revealing the last object of their conversation and her two accessories.

As they were seated a mere ten feet away from the door, it was impossible for either him or Itachi to miss the trio that had entered, for Itachi was facing the same was as Genma. Naruto and Sasuke seemed to be discussing something with secret fervor while Sakura was intent on flagging down a waitress, for the maître d' was nowhere to be found. The two men didn't even notice when Sakura finally succeeded, and the hostess started leading them towards a table. Only when Sakura tapped Naruto on the shoulder, and the blond jumped in surprise, did the two break away from their conversation.

It was also then that they finally noticed Itachi, Shikamaru and Genma.

Sakura's face lit up pleasantly in surprise when she spotted them, and she headed towards them with a small wave. On seeing the contents of their table and the empty shot glasses, Sakura faked a pout. "Celebrating without me? I'm hurt."

Unseen by her, Naruto and Sasuke followed with no small amounts of reluctance.

"We thought you'd be otherwise engaged," Genma offered with a suggestive look towards Sasuke, who was standing behind Sakura awkwardly with Naruto. In their awkwardness, both men missed the underlying meaning of Genma's comment, but Itachi did not. Next to Genma, their captain tensed. At the glare from Sakura, Genma relented on his teasing, if only for the moment. "Why don't you guys join us for dinner then? We only just got here a while ago too."

This was enough to distract Sakura for the moment, and with no hesitation, she drew up three chairs for them. And, in typical Sakura fashion, the first topic of conversation that occurred to her was their health. "How are all your injuries? Completely healed?"

A chorus of yesses met her question, and though that seemed to pacify her healer's instinct, her eyes lingered over Itachi for just a moment longer, tracing over all the injuries she'd spent days fussing over, pouring her life's energy into healing. Though the majority were covered by his clothes, she could still see his damaged body before her eyes, and though she blinked away the image in a second, her heart had already taken a dive as the panic of those moments seized her once more.

This also went unnoticed by her teammates, who were already arguing over what to eat. She could hear Naruto's childish complaints of hunger and Sasuke's annoyed words, and they soothed her for the moment. Soon enough, though, they decided on what to order. Sakura tried not to laugh as she watched the lust in Naruto's eyes as he studied the food already on the table grow until he finally just dove into the food on the table. Shikamaru and Genma then protested, and as misanthropic as Sasuke sometimes was, he joined in on their chatter. And as loud and talkative as Sakura usually was, she opted to stay silent today as she watched the four men bicker like children.

Truth to be told, her anger at Sasuke and Naruto had dissipated as fast as it had risen. What they did, however annoying it was to her, was, she knew, for her own good. And although she knew they cared for her more than anything in the world, these little reminders of their affection never failed to make her heart swell.

Throughout the night, Sakura was eager for the chance at conversation with Itachi. But after their food arrived, the argument between the four men resolved itself, and the tiny sliver of an opportunity she'd had for a one-on-one conversation with Itachi also disappeared. And after that, they were once more a sextet, and every other conversation that occurred during that dinner offered no chance for Sakura to talk to Itachi alone.

By the time they all left the restaurant, with Naruto so full he could barely walk, Sakura had all but given up on her wish to talk to Itachi privately. She was about to catch up to Naruto and Sasuke when she felt his firm grip on her arm, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"May I have a word?"

Sakura could only stare up at him with large eyes, nodding her head twice. Naruto, Sasuke and Genma didn't seem to notice as the two slipped away from the group, but Itachi caught Shikamaru's questioning glance as he lead Sakura down another street, towards the training grounds.

Sakura felt like a little teenaged girl again as a small blush spread across her cheeks when she realized that he had yet to let go of her arm. Whether Itachi noticed or not, she would never know, but the older Uchiha didn't relinquish his grip on her until they had left the lights of the town behind, and all that surrounded them were the trees and forestry of the training grounds. When he dropped his hold on her, Sakura could still feel the heat of his hand.

"Join my team."

Sakura blinked at him, unsure of what to say, blunt and abrupt as his declaration had been. Itachi seemed not to notice as he continued, "Be our permanent medic."

"I-" she started, not knowing how to continue. She felt as if her had just proposed to her, and in a way, he had. "I'm not sure if-"

As if not hearing her hesitation, Itachi continued on, "You'll learn much more than you will with any other team. You'll accomplish more, and do more for your village. In the end, this is the way you can best serve your people."

Sakura seemed to ponder his words, and was silent for almost two minutes before she finally spoke. "Why? Why _me_?"

"After Tsunade, you are the best medic in the village. Although the hospital benefits from your abilities, you were trained as a field medic, and it is as a field medic that your skills can be put to the best use. Plus…" Itachi shifted slightly, and bore his gaze straight into her own eyes. "You work well with us. You are the only medic we'll take."

Sakura squinted her eyes up at him. "Is that a _threat_? That you guys will go on without a medic unless it's me? That's it?"

Itachi shook his head once, curtly. "No. It wasn't a threat; it was the truth. We've survived without a medic until now, and we can survive without one in the future. But it would be better if you were there with us."

Although Sakura knew that Itachi only wanted Sakura the Medic, she could not stop the girl within her from fluttering and fainting at his words. Her femininity insisted on the romance in his words, even when her sense and everything logical in her brain told her it was just the practical side of Itachi speaking. But that wasn't enough to stop a small grin from spreading across her face.

"No other medic will do? It has to be me?"

"Yes. Only you."

_If only he was talking about Sakura the Woman and not Sakura the Medic, and he wasn't in Team Captain mode, _Sakura sighed silently to herself. But this was already more than she had ever hoped to hear from the man she had adored nearly all her life, and so she beamed up at him, and nodded an okay. "We'll see what shishou says, but I won't abandon my team. If Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi need me, then I'll be there for them first and foremost."

Itachi silently approved of her loyalty. With her last words, the conversation between them lulled to a stop, and for the next three minutes, the two of them stood there awkwardly, each unsure of what to say or do next. Awkwardly, Sakura rubbed her fingers together, a nervous habit of her youth. How she wished she could charm Itachi with eloquent conversation in this rare moment, but every single bit of charm deserted her in that moment as she stared up at him.

"Time sure passes by quickly, eh," Sakura murmured, shifting her gaze to the night. As an afterthought, the woman dropped down to the lush grass, seating herself comfortably.

"Indeed it does," Itachi replied quietly.

"And it's funny how far such a short amount of time can take you. So fast and so far that some things, even some parts of yourself aren't recognizable anymore."

Itachi was thoughtful for a moment, moments flashing by in seconds. He shrugged softly. "It's progress. It's the process of learning. It's the value of being able to grow old."

"Yes," Sakura laughed. "People like us should especially cherish the value of being able to live until old age."

Suddenly Itachi dropped down next to her, his gaze matching hers, tracing lines in the sky. "People cherish most the things they have to fight for."

_If I fought for you, would you one day look at me in that light?_ The thought had flickered through her mind too fast to stop, and it was with uncharted emotions that she welcomed it. _Am I even allowed to think that far? To think about something so utterly forbidden to me? Sasuke and Naruto would probably die at the thought._

Sakura smiled though, despite her thoughts and agreed once more. "Yes. It's the best feeling, knowing that you've fought and won. It's insurmountable."

"Absolutely?"

"Absolutely. Nothing is more valuable to me, especially as a medic. Saving _any_ lives at all is already precious. But when it's someone that's close to me, close to my heart…" Sakura's voice trailed off, her heart swelling with the thought. "Well. When I know that someone I love will be with me another day because of what I've been able to do for them, there is absolutely nothing more precious than that."

"Your teammates?" Itachi asked with a raised brow, though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah. All my precious people. Naruto, Kakashi, Tsunade, Sasuke…" _You_, she wanted to add, but didn't dare. There was still something enticingly forbidden about her infatuation, and for now, she would keep it to herself, a secret kept warm. In her mind, their last mission played through again and again, the critical moments when his life hung in a delicate balance, the blurs of the treetops as they raced back to Konoha, and finally, of his _alive_ face in the hospital. Indeed, there was nothing more precious to her than that; the breathing face of a loved one saved, even more so of her secret love.

Though not purposeful on her part, Itachi couldn't help but notice that she'd ended her list with his little brother. _Her precious someone_, _huh_, he thought to himself. Though it was only to be expected that Sasuke was her precious person, seeing as he was her teammate and recently, boyfriend, it didn't dull the slight pang of annoyance. Itachi was in no mood to admit that it was not so much at the inclusion of his otouto's name, but rather at the exclusion of his own that he felt annoyed.

Sakura, oblivious to the misunderstanding brewing between her and the two Uchiha brothers, smiled happily at the beaming moon. She could stay like this forever, just sitting in Itachi's presence. Silence was for once golden to her.

For now, it felt like this moment, _their_ shared moment, could last forever.

* * *

tbc_  
_

* * *

_Reviews are always so, so appreciated!_


	9. i'll keep the lights out

**title:** I'll keep the lights out, I'll tell you fairytales  
**word count:** 1824  
**prompts:** 07. hardest truth & 37. training & 36. caught in the act

**Summary:** In which the truth is revealed, and Sasuke realizes he has a world of pain to look forward to.

* * *

It was nearing eleven when the four decided to take a short break. They had already been training since the break of dawn, and it showed, because they were all sweat, dirt, and more sweat. Sakura looked sorriest of them all, but she had improved much since the very first time she'd trained with them. _That_ time, she had done pretty much nothing but eat dirt for the entirety of their training session. It was an experience she had absolutely no wish to repeat. But that had been nearly two months ago, after they had all healed from their first mission together. Now, they had more than five missions under their belt together, and Sakura was adjusting well to their team dynamics.

Wiping her brow with her hand, Sakura laughed. "Next time I won't be so nice, Shiranui."

"You've got to be the most violent woman I know, Haruno."

"Aww, when'd you become such a sweet talker?"

Genma smirked. "And only _you_ would consider that a compliment."

They reached the tree where Itachi and Shikamaru had already settled down under a moment later. With a smile, Sakura sat down between them. "How'd your spar go? Shika, you look like shit."

At her good natured quip, the lazy man grunted. "Itachi's a tyrant."

Sakura was about to reply, but the neat boxes of food between them effectively distracted her. "Who brought the food?" On cue, her stomach growled. Sakura had the decency to at least blush slightly before picking up one of the rolls.

"Ino dropped by earlier to leave this for us."

Sakura cooed. "Who knew Pig would adjust to domestic life so well?"

Shikamaru grumbled something under his breath about her troublesome living habits, but left it at that. Sakura wanted to giggle at how absolutely adorable they were, but managed to hold it in. Ever since the two of them had moved in together last month, their relationship had reached new heights. Ino's domesticity for one, and Shikamaru's taking initiative to _do_ things, was another.

"Speaking of domesticity…"Genma started. Sakura knew the suggestive tone well, and paused in her chewing. "I heard we have another potential clan matriarch here with us today. Men, we should be so _honoured_!"

At this, Itachi also stopped eating. _Clan matriarch? Did Sasuke propose?_ But even if he did, Sasuke wasn't the clan heir. _What is Genma spouting about?_

Shikamaru raised a curious brow. "You and Sasuke are dating?"

"Wh-"

"Oh _Sasuke_! He completely slipped my mind," Genma cut in before Sakura could interject. Genma turned to Sakura with an absolutely scandalized look. "Who knew you had it in you? I'm starting to look at you in a whole new light, Haruno. _Two_ clan heirs fighting for you. Well, 1.5, I suppose, since Itachi here's the actual heir."

At the confused and angry look on Sakura's face, Genma burst out laughing. "I'm just teasing, Haruno."

"What's this all about?" Shikamaru turned to Sakura also, curiosity shining in his dark eyes.

"Well…"

"She's debating which clan will be less of a prison for her; Hyuuga or Uchiha. What do you think, Cap?"

Itachi said nothing in reply to Genma. Sakura dared to sneak a peak at him, but his obsidian orbs were more guarded and unreadable than usual. The silence hung heavy between them for seven tense seconds before Sakura burst out, "It's not really anything with Neji. We just went out once."

Genma shook his head in mock disappointment, clucking his tongue. "So that's it then, you've settled on becoming the Cap's dear sis-in-law? I hear the Hyuugas are a lot more fun than the Uchiha lot though."

This time, there was no one to interrupt her as she blurted out a shocked, "_What?_" She recovered slightly after a few seconds. "Who the hell said I was marrying Sasuke? Who said we were even _dating_?"

Genma gasped in mock surprise. "'tis no use denying it, princess. I saw it with my own little eyes."

Again, that unfortunate memory came to mind. When Sakura realized Genma was referring to what he saw _that_ night, she punched him "playfully" on the arm. The man barely kept in the grunt of pain.

"I know what you _saw_, Genma, but we're not dating. Sasuke and Naruto are both brothers to me."

"You sleep with all your brothers?"

Sakura sighed and shrugged. "We were inexcusably drunk. It was a one time thing."

"A little birdie told me it was your _first_ time, too," Genma added with a slight snicker.

For the second time, Sakura looked affronted, but there was no malice nor truth behind this particular jab. "Who told you?"

At this point, Shikamaru, sensing the dangerous atmosphere that had been conjured by Genma's careless jokes, interjected. He turned to Genma with a stern stare. "That's enough. Leave the poor girl alone."

Genma shrugged an okay. The familiar twinkle in his eye, though, hinted to all present that this was _not_ the last of it. The easy atmosphere between the four had all but dissipated. A curtain of silence fell over them, thick and impenetrable.

Throughout the exchange, Itachi had been eerily quiet. Although not quite uncharacteristic of the stoic man, he was as intimate as he could be with all currently present. Usually, he would offer at least a sentence or two to the discussion. But today, he'd been completely silent, his mind whirling away.

_We're not dating. Sasuke and Naruto are both brothers to me. We're not dating. _

Sasuke had a _lot_ of explaining to do. In actuality though, any explanation he could come up with, Itachi had probably already figured out. It was obvious by Sakura and Genma's banter that at the very least, Sasuke and Sakura had slept together. This set a load of mild annoyance in Itachi's chest, but it was a feather compared to the load it had just set free. The heaviness that had filled his person since Sasuke's unceremonious "we're dating" disappeared. Ironically, it was also the first time Itachi acknowledged it at all, having denied its very existence until that moment. Before, it would have been troublesome, as Shikamaru would have put it, to have any thoughts about his otouto's girlfriend.

_But now?_ a voice in his mind echoed.

But now, it was like he was that fourteen year old boy again, feeling the warmth of hope for the very first time. _Hope_ was the feeling that the tiny slip of a girl had handed to him in the form of a bouquet. Hope was also the affection that she'd nurtured in his heart over the last nine years. _Hope_, as he'd soon learn, was the precursor to something entirely foreign to him.

From his peripheral, he saw Sakura give him a curious glance. Those open viridian orbs of hers were turbulent, vivid, vivacious, and unafraid. There were so many emotions dancing through them, and Itachi saw them all in that flash. Curiosity, shyness, amusement, dissipating anger…Itachi saw them all, more emotions at once than he'd ever allowed himself to feel, much less display.

Not for the first time, he realized how absolutely different they were. It was exactly this difference that had piqued Itachi's interest in her for the first time, nine years ago. And it was still this difference that kept his mind and heart interested in this blossoming woman, a paradox in her own right.

Itachi itched to say something, to push her buttons a little, to tease her, even…but he refrained. Sasuke first, Sakura later. Although it irritated him to know that he'd been tricked by his little brother, it was the _reason _behind this trickery that had Itachi frowning. What could Sasuke possibly be planning? In this moment, it mattered not, though. Now that he knew the truth, there was plenty of time. Ever since he had boldly asked her to join their team, she was training with them nearly as much as with Team Seven.

The puzzle that was Sakura was one he wanted to take a long time to solve. _This_ was now the real beginning, building off the foundation of nine little years. Whatever was to come in the next weeks, months and years was a mystery Itachi had no wish to rush through.

* * *

"Sasuke."

The man in question looked up from his mission report, surprised that his aniki had spoken. "What?"

"You and Sakura have been dating for quite a while."

"Yeah, so?"

Itachi folded up his newspaper neatly and set it down on the table. "Okaa-san would be quite delighted to know that Sakura is likely to become her daughter-in-law."

It amused Itachi considerably to see Sasuke pale somewhat at his words. The latter recovered quickly though, and shrugged. "We haven't thought about that yet. Plus, the longer Okaa-san is kept in the dark, the better it is for us. It's just not necessary at this point." _Or at any point, really. Just until you get over your damn interest in her_, Sasuke thought. _The quicker the better. If she finds out, I'm fucked._

"I see. You two must not be so serious, then."

"We are," Sasuke all but barked, annoyed now. "And why do you care?" Saying this, Sasuke had an odd sense of déjà vu. Their last tense conversation had also been about Sakura. Sasuke did _not_ like the implications of that.

"Really," Itachi deadpanned, ignoring the latter part of his comment. "Her date with Hyuuga Neji must have been nothing, then."

Sasuke froze. _Sakura went on a date with Neji? What the fuck? When did this happen? Why the hell didn't I know about it?_ He opened his mouth to reply but pinched his lips shut again. There was a curiously foreign expression on Itachi's face, one that Sasuke had never seen before. _Was this a god damn bluff?_

He didn't have a chance to find out, though, because Itachi had already gotten up. Before his older brother left the table, his expression darkened and he pierced Sasuke with his deadly gaze. "Genma mentioned that you two were dating today, but Sakura denied it with _such_ vehemence…" Itachi faked a shrug. "You two must have some _fantastic_ reason for keeping such secrecy, for her to hide it from even her own team mates."

The_ for instance, because you're not _really_ dating _went unsaid between them.

Itachi walked away then, leaving Sasuke to digest his words with an ashen face. Sasuke knew his aniki too well to not catch the unsaid implication. He _knew_ that dangerous tone, that gaze of his. Itachi was warning him not to tread further, which meant…

Which meant, god damn it, that he _knew_. Sasuke brought his hands to his temples and started massaging. There was going to be hell and chaos around here, and soon. He could already feel a migraine coming on.

From the other room, Itachi smirked to himself. This was already proving to be more fun than he'd originally thought.

* * *

tbc_  
_

* * *

_Hope you guys enjoyed that one! Sorry it's a little shorter than usual. Take it as a transitional chapter. Anddd, let the fun begin! Finally, hehe. Please review if you liked it! Drop me a little note (or a long one). It'll make my day. Honestly!_


	10. when the darkness falls under your hair

**Title:** when the darkness falls under your hair, there I'll be  
**Word Count:** 3730  
**Prompts:** 27. violin & 005. discovery & 227. starved for affection

**Summary:** Sakura has unexpected talents, but it is Itachi that is full of surprises.

* * *

Itachi realized a little belatedly that he knew next to _nothing_ about her. Haruno Sakura, as he was beginning to discover, was an enigma of many layers and surprises, each as pleasant and unexpected as the last. Though their acquaintance and pseudo-friendship had spanned more than a decade, she was still as much a stranger to him as that first meeting, still an unknown, still a variable to be solved.

Itachi could not be positive of it, but it was obvious that she knew much more about him than he did her. This alone was a disconcerting thought, because Itachi was by nature a very private person, shielding and protecting the very secrets that encompassed him. It baffled him that anyone outside of his immediate family would care enough to take the effort to gather and shelter information about himself, especially since, and he didn't loath to admit, he wasn't a particularly interesting person. The entirety of his life since his very birth had revolved around being a shinobi. It was drilled into the very core of his being so completely that sometimes, Itachi felt that there was simply no room to encompass anything else. Anything else would be extraneous, and would somehow work to lessen _him_.

Seeing the variability that made up Sakura, Itachi was beginning to rethink his theory.

"Yeah, play for us! Why practice so much and not perform?" A very drunk Ino slurred to the crowd, and the others, some as intoxicated as the blonde, hollered their pleasure. Sakura, who was oddly sober blushed a furious pink and shook her head.

"No no, I only started a few months ago. It's nothing presentable yet."

"Bullshit!" Ino yelled, voice shrill and slurred. As an afterthought, the boisterous girl slammed her hand down on the table. "Play for us! Play for us! Play for us!"

Around her, the drunk Genma, Kiba, Naruto, Sasuke and other indistinguishable faces started to join in on the chanting.

"Sakura-chayaaaaan," Naruto whined as he staggered over to the pinkette. "The teme and I have heard you play before. It's amazing. I mean, it's your birthday, so you should _definitely _do as we say!"

Sakura raised a brow. "You've lost what little sense of logic you have, Naruto."

Sasuke appeared next to his blond teammate, squeezing through the flood of people in Sakura's tiny apartment. The alcohol seemed to have done wonders for his misanthropy as he turned an admonishing glare on Naruto. "Naruto, stop nagging Sakura. Clearly, she doesn't want to play." Sakura was beginning to feel touched by Sasuke's caring words, when he continued, "We can't help it if she's too _scared_ to play. Or too embarrassed. We shouldn't blame her…"

This was as good as waking the tiger, as Sakura hesitated not a moment before whacking Sasuke particularly hard upside his head. The younger Uchiha didn't even have time to react before Sakura marched through the crowd, voice booming. "All right listen up you demanding, drunk children. I'll play one song and one song _only_."

Ino started the round of cheers that followed this demand, and Naruto, in his excitement, fell off the chair he'd managed to scramble onto, effectively crushing the poor Kotetsu and Izumo under his weight. Sakura could only smile fondly at the blond's antics as she unpacked her instrument.

Although Itachi vaguely recognized the shape of the case, he was still surprised when Sakura produced a violin, held delicately within her hands. Ino applauded again when the instrument came into view, eliciting a holler from some other drunken guests. Sakura gave a teasing bow, slightly flushed as she went on to tune the instrument. Out of nowhere, Naruto appeared next to Itachi, all smiles and with a beer bottle in hand.

"You'll love this, Itachi! Believe it. Sakura-chan's amazing."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, that's right! She said she's been practicing for someon-" Naruto stopped as his cloudy gaze caught sight of something over Itachi's shoulders. "Hey! Chouji, man, you still owe me that drinking contest!"

As suddenly as he had appeared, Naruto staggered off towards the bigger man, waving the glass bottle dangerously above his head. Itachi watched with mild amusement as the blond barrelled over an unsuspecting couple before turning back to the focus of everyone's attention.

Sakura cleared her throat. "Well then. It's not much. So don't expect much."

Then, she lifted the spruce instrument to her chin, heaved in a deep breath, and brought the bow down to the strings.

Itachi half expected a squeak, squeal or otherwise unpleasant noise to permeate the air, but he had never been more mistaken in his life. A soft note struck through the air around them, and seemed to gather with it awe and inspiration as it passed through the ears of its audience. From Ino to a smirking Tsunade, that first note, and the many that followed it compelled its audience into silence and wonderment as it brought them through a coaster of fortes and pianissimos, largos and allegros, until finally settling on a delicate, light e minor that left its listener's hearts at bay and dancing across thin glass.

For a moment after Sakura's performance ended, no one dared breathe, lest their exhale shatter the spell of her song. At the dumbstruck expressions on the faces of all the elite shinobi gathered in her cozy apartment, Sakura was at a loss. A reaction, _any_ reaction, really, would have been good. All of a sudden Sakura was all nerves, embarrassed that her performance really had been awful. As a habit, she started fidgeting with a stray hair on the bow.

"Holy _shit_," Ino finally breathed out, sobered by the illusion she had just been transported into. "Holy _mother_ of shits. You are absolutely _amazing_ with that thing, Forehead! Where on earth have you been hiding this talent of yours?"

Ino's compliment brought the others out of their respective dazes, and soon, Sakura was swarmed by a group of people, each full of praise and amazement. Itachi caught some of the words that were yelled at a higher decibel than others – Naruto's, for example – as he boasted about his dear Sakura-chan's accomplishments. Yet, for all his own pleasant shock, and, he was surprised to admit, amazement at her skill, Itachi did not approach the smiling woman.

Itachi stood at his place by the small leather couch, behind an unconscious Shikamaru, nursing the one beer he'd had all night. The barrage on Sakura didn't cease, and didn't look like it was about to any time soon. Itachi had never been one for unnecessary attention, so the best he could do was raise his glass in her direction when their eyes clashed across the space, and indulge secretly in the smile that was her reply. Her attention was stolen a second later though, slicing that moment into memory as she smiled and laughed at whatever was said to her next.

It was a little fanciful, but Itachi opted to think that the smile _he'd_ gotten was one she reserved especially for him.

* * *

"Thanks for coming!" Sakura yelled into the night after the last of the departing guests. After her little performance, another two hours had passed them by, during which time everyone simply decided to become even _more_ intoxicated. Most of the shinobi had managed to leave, either by their own devices or on the shoulders of another. Those teammates of hers, however…

Predictably, Sasuke and Naruto were passed out in her living room, a mess of bottles and glasses around them. Sakura wanted to groan despite the good mood she was in. Her apartment was absolutely _trashed_, and she still had to move those drunkards of hers. But when she reached the two men, she couldn't help the smile the found its way onto her face. She was nineteen now, and they were both very nearly there, yet they were still as adorable and lovely in her eyes as the first day she laid eyes on them. Thankfully for them, these good natured memories found her heaving them onto her shoulders gently, intent on letting them have a good night's rest. Usually, Sakura would leave them to crinkle in their awkward positions as punishment for not being sober for cleanup, but today was a good day. Her good nature lasted until she reached the spare bedroom, at which point she dumped them rather unceremoniously on the bed, not giving much thought to their tangled limbs. For good measure, she flicked open the blinds, leaving them a nice good morning hangover present for when the time came.

When she returned to her open kitchen and living room area, Sakura very nearly had a heart attack.

Standing smack in the middle of the two rooms was Uchiha Itachi, looking for all the world as if he belonged there.

"Itachi!" she gasped, stepping back once. The night and alcohol had dulled her senses, and she immediately blushed at her fatal error. Had he been an enemy, she would have already been dead five times over. "What are you still doing here? Don't worry about Sasuke – he's dead to the world for now."

Itachi nodded, despite already knowing Sasuke's condition. He paused here, realizing his next words would seem rather _odd_ to the birthday girl. But he forged on regardless, heedless of the consequences. "I will help you clean up."

"Oh," she blinked, not quite expecting _that_ declaration, of all things. "Oh well, you don't have to. It's late and you must be tired."

To Itachi, though, the word _no_ simply was not one that he accepted as an answer. As she was spewing out her protests, he had already begun to pick up the bottles that littered her hardwood. Realizing that her protests had been blatantly ignored, Sakura realized that this Uchiha was just as stubborn as the other one currently passed out in her guest bedroom.

Resigned to the fact that he would be here until her apartment was cleaned, she allowed herself the small treat of simply watching him work away, his movements graceful, light and delicate. The fluidity of his movements were so ingrained and effortless that he looked like water flowing through her apartment, grazing by the world, leaving just enough behind to carry no attachments.

It was this refinement that set him apart from anything else she had ever known, this and the aura of impenetrable sadness that guarded him closely. The latter, Sakura thought, was probably something Itachi himself did not consciously acknowledge. This subconscious denial only added to his melancholic appeal. Itachi was a package of such conflicting emotions that Sakura's own heart was torn by heartbreak over his solitude and attraction to the mystery. It was nothing she could adequately explain away with logic or sense, but Uchiha Itachi tugged away at her heart as nothing else in the world could.

Sakura returned to her senses a moment later, realizing that she had been gawking at the elder Uchiha for the past minute. Blushing a sweet pink, Sakura joined Itachi in picking up the litter. Not much conversation passed between the two as they worked to clean, but Sakura was satisfied. It felt awfully domestic, cleaning her apartment with Itachi. The feeling made her ridiculously giddy inside, no different than the butterflies that plague teenage girls. On the few occasions where they had managed to end up cleaning the same area, or when their fingers had perhaps grazed, Sakura had nearly felt her heart pop. She tried to blame in on the teensy bit of alcohol she'd had earlier, but her treacherous heart couldn't stop its intense beat as long as Itachi was here with her, in such an intimate setting.

In the end, they ended up finishing the clean up much faster than Sakura had anticipated. It was a little over three o'clock when Sakura wiped down the last of the glasses, handing it to Itachi to put away. Sakura didn't really know whether to be excited that they finished so soon or upset that her little cloud nine moment had _also_ ended so soon. When Itachi returned to his spot next to her, they elapsed into an awkward silence. With no work to distract the air around them, everything was so still, including them.

Surprisingly, it was Itachi that broke the silence a minute later. "You are very skilled at playing violin."

Sakura shrugged. "Not really, I only started four months ago. Hopefully I'll become good enough to perform one day," she paused and smiled sheepishly. "At least, that's the plan."

"Why the violin?"

"No particular reason. I've always found the sound pretty, so I decided to give it a shot."

Itachi let her words soak through him. Her nonchalance caught him off guard, though he didn't quite understand why. "That is one way to choose a hobby, I suppose."

"Yes, well, actually-" Sakura cut herself off as she considered her next words. When she finally decided on her words, she couldn't help the light rosy tint that spread across her cheeks. "You can't laugh when I tell you this, but if I'd have to name a hobby and _just_ one, I'd probably have to say that it's my habit of trying _everything_."

Itachi quirked a curious brow. "Everything?"

"Yes," Sakura heaved a defeated sigh. "_Everything_. Remember the time Sasuke and Naruto had me taken off the roster after that mission? I tried my hand at knitting, which, incidentally, did _not_ turn out so well. I also have a coin collection lying around here somewhere, probably with the telescope and a few paintings…."

If Itachi was not amused by her odd hobby, he was certainly amused by her rambling. "It would seem to me that a more appropriate name for your hobby is _hoarding_."

"Hey!" Sakura said with mock outrage, slapping him playfully on the arm. "I said you couldn't laugh."

"I do not recall agreeing to said condition."

Sakura paused, but beamed up at him a moment later. "Touche, Itachi," Sakura thought she saw a flicker of amusement pass through his eyes, which warmed her heart. Sobering up, she continued, "So what about you, Itachi? What do you do aside from kicking-ass?"

A stagnant silence followed her simple question, breaking off the smooth flow of their conversation. When Itachi didn't reply after a minute had passed, a rather nasty thought occurred to Sakura. Had she somehow offended him with that one question?

It was not, however, offense that Itachi was feeling. He had, in the simplest explainable term, been caught off guard, though he could not quite explain why. Her question had been the next logical one in the course of their conversation. After a long pause, Itachi replied, quietly, "I do not have any hobbies."

Sakura's mouth dropped to form a slight 'o' at his unceremonious proclamation. Curiously, there was no embarrassment or insult in his reply…it was simply a statement of facts as they were. Itachi seemed neither upset at not having any outside interests nor delighted. He seemed simply at peace with the fact as something immutable and indefinite. Sakura loved her life as a shinobi, but she couldn't imagine living without breaks from its harsh demands. Without her numerous hobbies, Sakura was sure that she would have gone crazy long ago from the stress. How on earth did Itachi manage to stay sane?

A memory burst through the forefronts of her mind then, a slipping image lost to the thousand others she had gathered throughout the years. Through the rose-coloured eyes of her nine year old self, the image of a younger Itachi appeared in her memory. It was little more than a passing glance, as Sakura was passing through the area with her mother. He was young by his frame but ancient by his stature as he sat at the base of the large elm. Sakura's innocent eyes blinked curiously at the enigmatic boy, who she quickly recognized as Sasuke's brother, the very same boy who she'd met on the road just a few snowy months before.

Immediately upon seeing him, young Sakura's heart sank. There was such a melancholic, sorrowful aura surrounding him that just one glance at him saddened her young heart. The girl squinted, trying to get a closer look at the thing dangling between his tense fingers. It was a bottle of some sort, shaped in a rather curious way. The little girl racked her brain for anything it might be. A water canteen? Juice? Medicine? None of her conjectures made quite enough sense to the smart girl, but her investigation was cut short as her okaa-san suggested they finally go eat dinner. In her excitement and mirth, the blissful young girl forgot all about the inexplicably heart wrenching scene she'd just witnessed.

As this memory replayed in Sakura's mind, her heart sank again, mirroring that same feeling from ten years prior. Those rose-coloured lenses had long since shattered, and Sakura knew now without a doubt what that bottle was. _Alcohol_, the poison that so many shinobi turned to, consciously drowning themselves until there was nothing left to feel.

_Is he still self-medicating?_ she wondered, a little sadly but even more worriedly. If he'd been drinking to that extent for all this time, his liver would surely be ready to give out any time soon now. And since he was never one to show up for routine check-ups at the hospital, Sakura feared she might never find out. A sudden urge, inexplicable and probably wildly inappropriate seized her then, compelling her to surge forward, closing the stagnant space between them.

Her action was so unplanned and uncharacteristic that it surprised them both, with Itachi's eyes widening ever-so-slightly at her movement. A little nervous now, Sakura stalled, unsure of what to do. Thankfully, her body came to the rescue of her heart as it pumped a wave adrenaline through her system. Along with the extra beats of her heart, Sakura raised a delicate hand to his face, slowly, but steadily. Though Itachi's gaze was trained on her face, Sakura felt surreal, as if she was watching the entire thing as a third party.

Sakura watched, entranced, as the suddenly brave and probably crazy Sakura let her hand rest on his face, caressing it softly, an expression of absolute empathy on her face. Itachi bristled under her touch at first, but the bravado-Sakura didn't seem to be deterred, as she continued. Eventually, he relaxed under her touch, like a child being coaxed. Her own gaze seemed glazed over, as if entranced by her actions and the intensity of his gaze.

She paused in her action as suddenly as she had began and with unknown courage she locked the intensity of their gazes together. "You're not alone, you know," she began, softly but firmly. "You don't have to carry all those burdens alone. You don't have to lift the weight of the world alone. Don't try to forget by harming your body."

Itachi looked surprised by her declaration, his unshakable composure stirred by her words. Sakura, however, was not finished. "You can share those burdens with me. Please don't drink anymore."

If Itachi was surprised before, he was even more so now. _How does she know about the alcohol?_ Itachi wondered. It was a secret he kept closely guarded to himself – not even his family knew. _No one_ knew. So how did she know? It must have been a time of the past, though, because the night of their first encounter was one of the last times he'd used alcohol to dull the ache. There had been a few other times in the following months when he'd once more reached for the bottle, but that had been the end of his self-destruction.

The hopeful expression on Sakura's face, he decided, was endearing and altogether moving. "I do not drink anymore," he said. "I have not used that method of…unburdening myself in ten years."

"Oh," she breathed, evidently relieved, if the broadening smile on her face was any indication. Itachi waited to see if she would draw a connection between his years of sobriety and their history, but nothing changed on her features. She had no reason to suspect, though, that their insignificant meeting had such a profound impact on him.

The adrenaline and bravado was gone now, but their proximity remained, and for the first time since her speech, Sakura realized the awkward placement of her hand. It was still there, hovering over his face awkwardly, not quite touching and not quite apart.

"Right. That's good. I'm happy you're not drinking any more," she said, starting to ramble. "You can always tell me anything that's troubling you. If you want, I mean. You don't have to…Well I'm sure you knew that. What I mean is-"

Sakura's eyes widened into saucers as she felt his iron grip on her receding arm. She had realized that her bumbling speech was the best opportunity to remove her hand unnoticed, though even then, it was a slim chance, considering the man standing before her. Itachi grabbing her wrist before she'd even lifted her hand a few centimeters away though, was something entirely unexpected.

And just as suddenly as his he'd grabbed her arm, his face was before hers, just inches away. When he spoke, his voice was low and if Sakura dared think, dangerous. "Do you know what you've just offered to do, Sakura?"

Sakura's heart was beating at approximately 1000 beats per second as she breathed out a quiet _yes_, though she unconsciously understood that she'd probably missed the sub-subtext of his words. Before she could sputter out her next words though, Itachi had closed the remaining minuscule amount of space between them, swooping his face down to capture her lips within his.

For the second time within a minute, Sakura's eyes widened to an impossible size as she soaked in the situation. Sirens were blaring in her head and nothing was registering because this situation was absolutely _bizarre_ _and unreal_ – then, she just stopped thinking altogether, and allowed her eyes to flutter shut. If this was just some fluke of the alcohol or a sweet dream, Sakura decided that overthinking it was the worst possible way to waste the experience.

With her eyes shut, Sakura gave in. Gave into the kiss, melted into his embrace and just surrendered to this beautiful assumption of reality.

* * *

tbc_  
_

* * *

_a/n: Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this one. Drop me a note! It'll make my day! _


	11. you became responsible, forever

**Title:** you became responsible, forever, for what you have tamed  
**Word Count:** 4613  
**Prompts:** 10. thunderstorm & 054. emergence & 488. when worlds collide

**Summary:** In which Itachi and Sakura reach an understanding.

* * *

"Sakura-chan? Yoohooo, Sakura-chan?" When the girl in question didn't reply again, Naruto did something he would usually never dare to: he flicked her forehead, with one, final, "Sakura-chan!"

Sakura blinked a few times, blearily. "Huh? Oh, Naruto. What is it?"

"Jeez," her blond brother said, scratching his head. "You've been really out of it lately. I've been trying to get your attention for the past minute."

"Oh," Sakura blushed slightly. "Sorry, I was thinking about something."

"What is it? What's bothering you? You know you can tell me anything, Sakura-chan!"

"Nothing's _bothering_ me, Naruto. I'm just thinking about all sorts of random things, that's all."

Naruto squinted over at her sceptically for a moment, as if sizing up her answer. She could see the sharp glint in his eye that indicated his disbelief, but Naruto knew her well enough to know to back off. "Alright, Sakura-chan. But if you ever need to talk, you know who to go to!"

She patted his head gently, and Naruto bore the gesture with an affectionate smile. It was a move reminiscent of their younger days, reserved for when they both needed a dose of nostalgia. "Well, Naruto, I should go. Early shift tomorrow morning," she said as she laid down the money due for her ramen. "You should go too, Hinata's probably waiting up."

"All right, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied hesitantly. His reluctance to let his heart sister leave with so much unsaid reached only as far as his grip; once she stepped out of his arm's reach, he relinquished his light hold on her. "Good night. Remember what I said."

Sakura nodded once lightly, matching the gesture with a small smile before disappearing out of the ramen stand. The speed at which she fled the situation was a sign as obvious as any to Naruto of her deception. There would be time to pursue this later, he decided, as he watched her shadow disappear down the dimly lit road.

* * *

_Some thirteen days later _

Sakura sneezed. And sneezed again. And again.

When the sneezing fit finally stopped, Sakura was one notch short of miserably murderous. Everything about this mission pissed her off, and this last development was just the cherry on the cake. There was a reason she was rarely assigned to do solo missions, the chief of them being that her skill was mostly wasted on such an endeavour. In the time it took her to finish such a mission, she could have saved a bunch of lives, either in the field or in the hospital. Thus, she took it personally as divine retribution from above that everything that could have gone wrong during this mission did.

It had taken her exactly four days longer to finish this mission than originally planned, and if not for that delay, she wouldn't be stuck here in the middle of nowhere during the worst thunderstorm of her living memory.

Sakura sneezed again.

And to top it off, she had caught a cold, something her medical skill was completely useless against. Sakura rubbed at her red nose miserably. Even the rain couldn't be of comfort to her today.

* * *

Unlike Sakura, Itachi was often sent on solo missions. His skills, stealth and efficiency were often maximized when he was alone. Tsunade knew this, and was always shamelessly sending him off into the dangerous unknown on his own. Itachi didn't mind; he enjoyed the occasional time off from his boisterous team. It was real-time training that ultimately benefitted his team as a whole. When Itachi improved, their team improved.

Today though…

Itachi resisted the urge to glare uselessly at the sky. The onset of the thunderstorm had been very sudden, and by the time the severity of the storm had hit Itachi, he'd been too far away from any sort of civilization to seek shelter. He was in the stretch of the vast forestry that lay between Konoha and the nearest civilian village, an uninhabited radius of about seventy miles. Even though he was usually the type to barrel on through a mission until he reached Konoha again, he acknowledged that in the current weather, that would be a very stupid thing to do.

Itachi was about to think of an alternative when the familiar smooth caress of a genjutsu hit his senses. Immediately he tensed for the onset of an attack, but relaxed a moment later when he recognized the jutsu and what it was sheltering. _But of course_, he thought, mentally berating himself for forgetting such an obvious solution.

They were all over this dense stretch of untouched forestry, created for this exact purpose. Years ago, the Sandaime had commissioned the construction of several cabins, placed sporadically throughout the seventy mile radius for the use of Konoha shinobi in emergency situations. They all had the same genjutsu cast over them, one taught to every shinobi jounin-level and above.

_Perfect_, Itachi thought as he gravitated towards the source of the genjutsu. He dispelled it with no occasion, and had never been so glad in his life to see the unassuming, plain wooden cabin. As soon as he'd dispelled the illusion, though, he realized that he wasn't the only one seeking shelter from the storm. Another shinobi was in the cabin, and even though they were masking their chakra, Itachi remained unalarmed. There was a warm familiarity to the chakra signature, even though he couldn't place it, signalling that at the very least, they weren't strangers.

Itachi pushed the cabin door open, and was immediately bombarded by the overwhelming scent of wet, soggy wood. Lack of regular maintenance had rendered the cabin rather dilapidated and sad looking, and it was with mild distaste that Itachi took in the sorry state of his shelter. In addition to the many leaks the ceiling seemed to sport, if the constant drips and small puddles on the floor were any indication, the cabin was also very sparsely furnished. There was just one square table with three chairs around it. The fourth chair, Itachi noted, was broken and discarded in an empty corner of the room. At least there was also a futon, which the other inhabitant was currently perched on.

Itachi had recognized her right away. The familiarity of her chakra signature made immediate sense to him. What alarmed him was the fact that Sakura didn't even stir from her position on the futon as he entered, despite the old door creaking rather obnoxiously upon his entrance. Even as he walked into the place, shutting the door behind him a little less than silently, pattering around the space, Sakura didn't move. Itachi knew her to be a better shinobi than that. He'd witnessed it himself before. On missions, even at the slightest hint of disturbance, she would be awake, alert and ready to take action. And even though they weren't exactly out in the open, this was still not an entirely safe spot, genjutsu aside.

Something was definitely wrong.

Without missing a heartbeat Itachi was next to the futon, Sharigan eyes checking the pink haired woman for injuries. She didn't seem to have any external injuries, but he noted with a frown that her breathing was quite laboured. Itachi dropped down on the futon next to her.

"Sakura." He shook her lightly. Immediately he realized what the problem was. Sakura was burning hot, her temperature easily exceeding forty degrees Celsius. "Sakura," he called again. This time, he shook her a little more violently.

At last she stirred, a mumbled string of words escaping from her mouth. Now that Itachi could see her face, the signs of fever were impossible to miss. Her normally rosy cheeks were a heightened red, and her face was scrunched up in a frown that spoke of her discomfort. Itachi shook her again.

Sakura's eyes blinked open blearily – once, twice, thrice – and even then, didn't seem to fully register the elder Uchiha brother currently next to her. "Itachi?" she mumbled, blinking more furiously now. "What-"

"You have a fever, Sakura."

"Itachi? What are you doing here?"

"Do you have any medicine? Antibiotics? Pain killers?"

"What, _how-_"

"Sakura. Focus." Itachi was gripping both her shoulders now, and had guided her body into a position where they now faced each other. "I know you are disoriented. Questions later. For now, think. Antibiotics?"

In her half-delusional state, she was surprisingly compliant. "No medicine…Not that kind of mission, didn't bring…"

Sakura shivered then, a deep shudder that wracked her entire body. "It's so cold, Itachi…"

Itachi wanted to smack himself. Although most of her clothing had dried, they were still damp. Evidently, she had been caught by the storm as well, which had definitely just worsened whatever bug she'd managed to catch. In one swift movement he'd removed her semi-wet jounin vest as well as his own ANBU cloak. His cloak was wet from the rain as well, but a quick wind jutsu had the cloak dry in seconds. Itachi wasted no time in wrapping the shivering woman up in the folds of the fabric, and was satisfied that her shakes stopped as soon as he did so. Sakura drifted back into her feverish sleep almost immediately.

Itachi was painfully careful as he adjusted the bundled up woman in his arms. Even now the frown marring her pretty features refused to relent. The irrational desire to smooth away all her troubles that Itachi felt surprised him. Such a deep protective feeling was one he hadn't felt in a long, _long_ time. But he shouldn't have been surprised, not really. This was a feeling that had been festering for nine years now, and as…slow as he was in areas of interpersonal relationships, he knew what this meant. Itachi thought, with a wry twist of his lips, that he was long past the stage of denial. Besides, he'd already declared his interest in her, and had made his interest very known to her. What he was feeling was normal. Absolutely normal.

Itachi sighed and brought his free hand up to massage the bridge of his nose. His day had suddenly become so much more complex, but it wasn't annoyance he felt. It wasn't exactly joy that he felt knowing that it was him that found Sakura like this, and not some random other man. But he was…glad. Itachi could accept, now, that when it came to Sakura, he found that he often had reason to be glad. It was the worry that he also felt that made the situation troublesome.

The storm looked like it had no plans of relenting any time soon, if the thunderous claps and occasional flashes of blue were any indications. Itachi decided that a little nap wouldn't harm him, and he _was_ pretty drained from the lightning-fast mission he'd just completed…

Decision made, Itachi adjusted himself on the futon until he found a comfortable position. Then, he adjusted Sakura against him, delicately and slowly, so that in the end she ended up sort of lying in his lap. Itachi justified the position by convincing himself that this was the only way for him to wrap his arms around her in a suitable manner in order for him to transfer a constant flow of heat to her. Right. Only way.

Itachi's genius mind remained unconvinced, but Itachi found that he really couldn't give a damn. With his eyes shut and a tiny, somewhat smug smile on his lips, Itachi drifted off into the best sleep he'd had in nine years.

* * *

The first thing Sakura noticed was the warmth. In fact, she was _really_ hot. There were layers of blankets covering her, immediately causing her alarm. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in that shitty cabin and-

Oh.

Her eyes flew open as her foggy memories returned to her. _Was it a dream? _she wondered. There was just no way that Itachi could have turned up there as well…

It was then that she noticed the familiar fluorescent lights and stark white walls. The Konoha Hospital. She'd know that smell of antiseptic anywhere. The place was basically her second home.

"Sakura-chan! You're awake!"As if to reinforce his point, Naruto shook her excitedly. "Thank god. You didn't look so good earlier."

"Volume, Naruto!" she hissed, his loud voice piercing her head and reinforcing her migraine.

"Ah, sorry!" Naruto whispered. His whisper voice, though, was a normal person's speaking voice. "I'm just glad you're up now. You've been out for hours."

_Hours?_ Sakura was unimpressed by her own body's fragility. If she added in however long it took her to get back, plus however long she'd been passed out at the cabin, she would have had to be unconscious for a day at the very least. _How the hell did that happen?_

Sasuke entered the room a moment later, seemingly unsurprised that she was already awake. "How are you feeling, Sakura?"

"Like absolute shit. My head is throbbing. How did I get here…?"

Sasuke hesitated, and Sakura saw a flash of something akin to suspicion flash through his charcoal orbs before he hid it away. "…Itachi brought you back."

_So it wasn't a dream,_ she thought. "That..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"How on earth did you end up with the teme's brother?!" Naruto blurted. Sasuke shot him his best death glare, and Naruto faltered sheepishly. Sakura narrowed her eyes at the duo; the only time they interacted like this was when they agreed to hide something from her.

"You must be hungry. I brought you dango." Sasuke cut in, and to reinforce his point, he dangled the paper bag of promised goods in front of her face. As if on cue, her stomach growled. Her boys watched her awkwardly as she chewed on the sweets, but the silence lasted only a minute before Naruto felt suffocated.

"So baa-chan said you had a really bad flu. Man, when you were brought in your fever was like 42 degrees! You need to take better care of yourself, Sakura-chan. One mission away from us and look what happens!"

"What are you implying, Naruto?"

"Er-"

"Naruto just means that as a medic, you should know the importance of keeping your health in order. You take really shitty care of yourself because you always prioritize everyone else before you." Sasuke cut in, the role of mediator falling onto his shoulders.

This was part of their routine too; when two of them were in danger of getting into an argument, the third always naturally sorted things out. In that way the three of them fit together perfectly, balancing out the yin and the yang and the precious line in between. When one side pulled, the other gave way naturally, and their affection for each other ensured that no one ever tugged too hard.

Sakura sighed. "I know, but it's my instinct. How can I focus on myself when I could be spending that time saving others?"

"How can you expect to save anyone if _you've_ collapsed? Who is going to save you?"

"But-"

"No buts, Sakura. Not on the subject of your health." Naruto nodded his head vigorously in agreement.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan! Every time you overwork yourself it really worries us. Baa-chan said your immune system wouldn't have gotten so weak if you hadn't worked yourself into chakra exhaustion so often!"

"…Sorry."

"Eat. And rest. Naruto and I are going to meet Kakashi. We'll be back later though." Naruto looked slightly confused, but after a stern look from Sasuke he nodded his agreement.

"Right. Kakashi. We'll see you in a bit, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura didn't miss their suspicious behaviour. The two of them had never really mastered the ability to be subtle, but she would wait and see this time. "Alright, I'll be as obedient as a lamb today. Shoo, shoo, have fun training."

"See you later, Sakura-chan!" Naruto waved as the two of them jumped through the windows. Sakura smiled wryly, wondering why shinobi establishments even bothered with doors in the building plans.

All in all though, Sakura's head was swimming with just under a billion questions, starting with _what the hell was going on?_ The last thing she remembered with any certainty was sniffling rather pitifully in the cabin by herself, cursing her bad luck and that accursed mission. Then she'd laid down on the futon because she'd been so, so, so extremely tired, and when she woke up, she was here. There was this foggy, dreamy memory of a concerned looking Itachi shaking her awake, and as much as she wanted that to be reality, it just _couldn't_ be. Even though Naruto had claimed that Itachi had been the one to bring her home.

None of that made any sense.

Itachi…

The thought alone of the elder Uchiha brother was enough to bring a shy blush to her cheeks and a slight frown to her features. Ever since her birthday celebration a few weeks back, her mind and heart had been in turmoil. The memory of his lips first brushing against hers, then with more urgency, as if he'd wanted to explore every inch of her, devouring her, always sent her heart aflutter.

Although she'd always secretly believed Itachi to be a very gentle person and more than his stoic exterior made him to be, she'd never really had any evidence other than her own faith until that day. In that one kiss, and the one, lingering kiss that followed, she'd sensed in him a hidden fragility and humanity that made her heart lurch and swell simultaneously. There was this sense that Itachi was like a book, waiting to be opened and understood by the right person and that perhaps, just _maybe_, she was that person.

Then again, she might be completely delusional and romanticizing the hell out of the situation. Sakura wasn't entirely sure. After he pulled away from her, leaving her breathless and brainless, his twin pools of ebony smouldering her with its intensity, he'd smiled slightly, all amusement and satisfaction.

"There is no turning back now, Sakura." He'd brushed away a wayward cerise strand as he'd said this, his actions so painfully gentle that Sakura's heart nearly stopped beating. Then, as casually as ever, he placed a gentle, lingering kiss on her forehead before disappearing, just like that. Even minutes after he'd left Sakura could feel the heat from where his lips had marked her, and she heard the constant echo of his words in her mind. _No turning back._ Sakura must have stood there in shock for a good ten minutes after he'd disappeared. Only after that much time had passed did she realize that at least for tonight, Itachi wasn't coming back.

_What. Just. Happened?_ Were the three words her mind repeated on hyper-drive, as it worked to process the situation. Sakura was rarely caught off guard by men these days, but she was beginning to realize that wherever Uchiha Itachi was concerned, no part of her life would be normal. The days following this incident Sakura had been slightly in shock and slightly in a state of bliss, but the happiness quickly wore off when she realized that Itachi was nowhere to be found. A few days later she found out from a slightly peeved Sasuke that Itachi had been sent away on a solo mission the day after her party, and wasn't due back for a while to come. The nagging feeling that she'd been toyed with tugged at her, but she worked her best to quell it. Itachi wasn't like that. He _couldn't_ be like that; she wouldn't allow it.

That didn't mean that Sakura wasn't miffed all the same. She'd worked her whole life so that people would respect her and take her seriously. Even if he was Itachi, the man who'd held a precious spot in her heart for as long as she remembered, he would not be an exception to her rule.

Since then, Uchiha Itachi had become a slightly touchy subject to the pink haired woman.

Sakura chewed thoughtfully on another piece of dango. Just as she placed the delicious stick of goodness into her mouth, the man of her thoughts materialized before her. She had been so caught up in her own confusion and thought process that she'd completely missed his presence, and the abruptness of his appearance left her with a stupidly surprised expression, dango dangling from her mouth.

Quickly, she removed the sugary stick. "Itachi!"

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. Itachi…" There were so many things she wanted to say, so many questions about everything that were vying their way for importance that in the end, she couldn't decide on what to ask first. She just stared, wide-eyed at the man in front of her. It took her two moments longer to gather her thoughts than she would have liked. "Explain. Everything. All of it. _Now_."

Normally she would have been too polite to take such a demanding tone with the elder Uchiha, but in this situation, she felt like she had the right.

He shrugged. "I found you."

Sakura didn't miss how he'd blithely ignored the subtext of her question. "You…You just _left_."

It wasn't until she uttered those words that she realized how angry and hurt she'd been by his sudden disappearance. Once the floodgates opened, though, there was, like he said, no turning back. "You just _left_," she repeated, her eyes shining with all the emotions tumbling through her system.

Irritatingly enough, Itachi just quirked a brow in response. "I had a mission to prepare for, and have just returned from said mission."

"You can't just _leave_ after doing something like that!"

Suddenly, Itachi was next to her hospital bed, so dangerously close again. Although Sakura was mentally unprepared for the proximity, her body remembered his warmth, and every fibre of her being yearned for his touch again, leaving her heart beating at a thousand beats per minute once more. "Something like what? Like _this_?" And just as suddenly his lips were upon hers again, capturing her in his intensity.

It took every ounce of willpower in Sakura not to surrender to him and melt into the kiss. Instead, ignoring the mental voice yelling that she would regret it, Sakura pushed him away. "_Yes_, that! I don't know what kind of girls you're used to dealing with, but I'm not someone that you can just push around."

"If I thought you were that type of girl, I would not be interested in you, Sakura."

Her treacherous mind lulled and swooned at the deep baritone of his voice as he spoke her name. Even worse than his alluring voice was what he had said. _Interested in her. Itachi was interested in her, Haruno Sakura!_ Again, it took all of her willpower not to start jumping around with unbounded joy. Somehow, she schooled her features into an image of calmness.

"You can't just leave after doing that with no explanation whatsoever."

The small, amused smile that Sakura was beginning to recognize as Itachi's trademark smile was beginning to irk Sakura. It was the kind of smile that suggested he knew something you didn't, as if he were privy to the most interesting information in the world. It was the smile he currently wore as he gazed at her. "I thought I was very clear in my intentions."

"Not to me."

"What do you think I meant, Sakura?"

"I don't _know_ exactly what you meant. That's the problem! You just…you just…You can't just kiss me breathless and then leave without a trace for weeks."

Itachi must have heard the hurt in her voice, because he suddenly seemed very solemn. "I apologize. I was not aware that we were not…on the same page. I had thought that you understood my intentions perfectly."

Sakura was exasperated. "What _I_ think of your intentions might not have been the same as what _you_ actually intended. Even if they were, I had no way of knowing. See the problem now?"

"I apologize."

Sakura sighed. Genius or not, everyone of Uchiha decent had major problems understanding acceptable social norms. Really, Sakura should have been well accustomed to this by now, but the Uchihas' misanthropy was a gift that just kept on giving. "It's okay, Itachi. This talk helped clear things up. Kind of."

A tentative smile crept its way onto her face. Now that the initial emotional surge had passed, Sakura felt a lot calmer, which brought her mind back to the other question plaguing her mind. "How on earth did I end up back here? Naruto said you brought me back? How?"

Surprising Sakura was the flash of reproach and disapproval in Itachi's eyes. "I found you. Unconscious. In one of the Sandaime's emergency cabins."

"Ah I remember that, I was hiding out from the storm there. I must've fallen asleep on the futon."

"Not asleep, Sakura. _Unconscious_. And with a very high fever. _Alone_."

Was that concern she discerned in his voice?

"Yeah I had a little bit of a cold before, and being out in the storm must have been the clincher."

"Hokage-sama said that your immune system should have been able to prevent you from becoming so ill. _If_ you didn't overwork yourself so often, that is."

"I don't overwork myself, really. I just work until I finish everything that needs finishing-"

"You are a medic-nin, Sakura. Not a miracle worker. It isn't your responsibility to save every lost soul. _The weight of the world is not on your shoulders."_

It wasn't as if Sakura didn't already know everything that Itachi was saying. She _knew_ she wasn't God. Enough patients had died on her watch for her to know that. But there was something in the way he had said it, something in the sincerity behind his words that penetrated her very core. There was a difference between her trying to convince herself of the fact and a third-party, someone she respected so much absolving her of any and all guilt. Guilt that she hadn't even realized she'd been keeping bottled up within. Guilt that had been slowly but surely eating away at her for years now.

And just like he said, miraculously, Sakura felt the weight of the world lift from her shoulders. She felt liberated, which was entirely bizarre to her because she hadn't even realized she'd been trapped. "Thank you," she whispered.

Itachi nodded, not just for her gratitude, but for the understanding that now existed between them. Unbeknownst to Sakura, Itachi was merely returning the favour to the little nine-year old girl that he kept locked away in his memory. That child had so easily dissolved the crushing weight of guilt from him, freeing him from his own mental prison. It crushed him to see the grown up, future version of that optimistic girl trapped in the same torment.

To Itachi, though, this trade-off meant much more than that. There was an undeniable bond that existed between that nine-year old girl and his tortured fourteen-year old self that led to where the two of them stood today. That bond, though, had faded into the shadows of memory, existing now solely as a piece of the puzzle that comprised their history together. It was an essential block to their foundation, something that they would be nothing without. It was an offer of friendship and absolution, an innocent offer of forgiveness that freed him to become a man capable of wanting, maybe even _needing_ someone else. It was something to go forward from, something to build off of and to branch away from. It gave them the potential to grow and to perhaps even create something beautiful between themselves.

Itachi had every intention of doing just that.

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tbc

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_Notes:_ _Wow I'm so incredibly sorry for how overdue this is. I kind of lost interest in everything to do with these fics for a while, but I'm back now and my muse is alive and kicking. Hope you all enjoyed this one! Drop me a note! Your reviews honestly make my day!_


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